Believe
by kayy christine
Summary: HIATUS. After five long years in Germany, Edward is finally home. He's determined to settle down, with the woman he loves, and live the life he never thought he'd have the chance to. But what happens when a new crisis is threatening Amestris?
1. Indefinite

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters from the series, manga, blah blah. I do, however, own a handful of OC's and I hope that you enjoy them!  
_

**Prologue:  
Indefinite**

___

Numbness, yet overexertion was throbbing throughout his entire body. He could feel the years of abuse nagging at his bones, stiffening his joints. Deciding that now was the time to open his eyes and greet his surroundings, the man lifted his heavy eyelids. Darkness. He sat up, trying to ignore the shooting pains that were racing up and down his spine, and waited a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dark. The man's eyes suddenly grew wide with shock and disbelief.

"This looks like..."

He then stood to his feet, brushing away any debris that may have settled on his torn and ragged excuses for clothing. He headed toward the lighted town, squinting and rubbing his eyes, making sure that he was indeed where he thought he was. Realization struck and a familiar, wide, and teethy grin shone in the night.

"Lior."

Edward Elric was home, back in Amestris. He was free.


	2. All That's Left of Yesterday

_"Everything is gonna be alright. Be strong. Believe."  
-Yellowcard_

**Chapter One:  
All That's Left of Yesterday**

**___**

"I love him, Al. Ever since we were little kids I've loved him...and I always will." the twenty two year old said as she folded a long lock of blonde hair behind her ear.

"I know you do, Winry." The young man seated next to her shifted a bit and then looked back at her. She was sitting with her knees curled up to her chest, resting her chin on her hands. He knew his brother loved her too, but he also understood that it wasn't his place to say. "Look, I know...it's hard. You just can't give up on him yet. Even if he is back in Germany, I know for a fact that he's not just messing around over there. He misses both of us and he would never even dream of giving up on a way back to us, that's just how Ed is. Even though it seems nearly impossible for him to come back, he's way too stubborn to actually believe it and let it go. You should know that already."

Winry chuckled a bit, she knew he was right. "Same old Ed." she sighed, looking over at Al.

Alphonse Elric was flesh and bone, soul and body united. She was so happy that he was finally out of that armor, but at the same time, she just couldn't show happiness. It had left her the day that Ed went back through The Gate to Germany. She knew that he did it on her and Al's behalf, all of Amestris actually, but especially Winry and Alphonse, He was going to protect them at any cost, even if it meant never seeing them again, so long as they were alive and safe. She was furious, it was just like Edward Elric to up and leave without saying goodbye. He just ran off when she was done putting on his new automail after replacing the sorry excuses for an arm and leg that he had been dealing with. She had a feeling that he knew what was about to take place, she knew that Ed was planning on going back through The Gate and yet, the last thing he said to her was to find a place to hide. How ridiculous. Classic Ed. But, she just couldn't bring herself to hate him over it though. He must have known that if he had tried to say goodbye to her, she would beg for him not to leave and make it harder on both of them.

"It is hard though, I don't even know if I'll ever be able to tell him I love him. I had so many opportunities and I was too scared to just say it."

"You will get to say it to him, I promise. I know my brother, he will find a way back here, Winry, just don't give up on him." Al reassured, looking at the young woman worriedly. He stretched an arm around Winry and pulled her in for a hug.

"Even if I do have the chance, what would he say? He'd probably laugh at me or think I was crazy."

"He wouldn't."

She looked up at Al, "How do you know?"

"I just know it, you two have way too much history for him to just write off powerful words like that and besides," Al looked over at Winry with a smirk, "I always knew you guys would end up together."

Winry blushed and playfully punched Al in the shoulder. He laughed and began rubbing it. His eyes fell as he changed the subject.

"Winry?"

"Yea?"

"At night, when you think everyone's sleeping...I hear you..."

She looked over at him alarmed, "Al...I-"

"I hear you crying and asking him why, why he had to leave us. Just please, don't give up on my brother." he asked again. He could see tears welling up in her sapphire eyes. Late at night when she thought Al and Pinako were deep asleep, she would let out the grief that she tried to hold back during the day. It helped her cope somehow, almost as if she was grieving over a death. Sometimes Winry thought that if she cried enough, one day there wouldn't be any tears left and she could move on.

"I just..." she said choking back tears.

"Winry,"

"I just hate this, Al!" she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

"I know, its gonna be okay, I promise." He said, pulling her back in to comfort the woman he knew his brother loved. They were meant to be together, no two people were more perfect for each other than Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell, Al was sure of it. He remembered that day, watching his brother leaving him, his last blood relative walking out of his life, he was screaming for Ed not to go, that he was crazy and not thinking, and that there was another solution that would keep everyone safe, but Ed wouldn't budge. Al had all confidence in his brother, even though he did not want to admit it, he knew that Ed was doing the right thing. He remembered, just as Ed was turing to leave, he said to him, _"Tell her to wait for me." _That is why he was so sure of his older brother. Edward was not one to create false pretenses. He did return Al back to his body after all.

Winry laid down in the grass, looking up at the orange and pink sky with distant eyes. The sun was setting and they needed to head back to the house to help Pinako with dinner. It had definitely been quite a journey, but inside, the two friends knew that it wasn't over. Not quite yet.  
___

Dinner was quiet. Pinako was looking at the two with concern in her eyes. Al wasn't paying attention to anything she was saying and Winry was picking at her food. Something was going on.

"Alright," Pinako said, standing up, pulling a match out of her apron pocket. She made her way over to the kitchen counter and picked up her pipe. She pulled some tobacco out from the cabinet, stuffed it in the tobacco chamber and lit it."Tell me what happened you two."

Her words pulled Al out of his gaze and Winry looked over at her grandmother.

"Nothing really, Granny. It's just been a hard day..."

"Well, it's not like there's anything that can be done now is there? He said he was coming back, did he not, Alphonse?"

"Yes ma'am." Al said with full confidence.

"Well, then that's that. Winry, you should know better than anyone, they always come home, he will come home."

"Granny..."

"Thats enough for tonight." she said calmly, heading for the front door to let Den out and to finish her pipe outside. She hated seeing her granddaughter like this, it was tearing her apart. She knew Winry's parents wouldn't like seeing their daughter in this state either.

Winry stood up and started clearing the plates, cups, and silverware off of the wooden table.

"I got it, Win." Al said taking the dishes from Winry's hands. "You go upstairs and get some rest, alright?"

She looked at her best friend and smiled, "Thank you." Winry slowly walked towards the stairs, she knew that she had to stop being so pessimistic. Al had so much faith in his brother and she longed to feel the same. He was so content with the situation, so full of confidence in Ed. She was ashamed that she didn't feel the same. Would it kill her to have a little faith in the man she loves?

"Hey, Winry?" Al said as she reached the top of the stairs. "Try and get some actual sleep tonight, too." he smiled at her and resumed washing the dishes.

She smiled back and walked over to her bedroom door, opening it, and quietly closing it behind her. She decided then and there that she was going to change her attitude completely. She didn't want to let Ed down, she knew he wouldn't like her moping around the house over him, anyway. It'd embarrass the poor guy.

Pulling her covers away, she tucked herself into her bed. She started thinking about her future and the day that Edward would finally come home, for good this time. She smiled at the thought and turned over in her bed, drifting off to sleep.  
___

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Three months passed by in the blink of an eye. Winry was up and around the house more, taking on more customers of her own at the shop, she even started working on a new arm and leg for Ed. Guessing the measurements, she knew that she could always go back and fix them if she was off. Before, she would spend most of the day in bed, until Pinako would drag her out and make her help with a customer or urge her to spend some time outside. She hated herself for it, too. But, for the first time in five years, she finally felt alive again.

"Hey, Al!" Winry yelled, waving at Al who was walking back from town with three large bags of groceries. She was hanging up some wet clothes on the line in the front yard and started walking toward him after she hung up the last of the clothes.

"Hey!" he shouted back, struggling to keep hold of the grocery bags. Winry laughed at the sight of him. She had offered to go with him, but he said he would like to take a walk alone, then she offered to call Nelly and ask for Al to borrow a horse and wagon, so he wouldn't have to carry the load for the four miles it is back from town to the house, but he refused.

"Silly, I knew I should've called Nelly!" she laughed, taking one of the bags from the obviously exhausted Al.

"Nah," he said huffing and puffing his way up the porch stairs. "I needed the exercise."

"Well? Feel better?"

"Heh, yea I guess, but now my back's killing me." He sat the large bags on the dining room table and rubbed his lower back. Winry laughed, waving her hand at the hopeless matter. He sat down and she poured him a large glass of lemonade. She started putting the groceries away while humming a tune. Pinako was in the shop, working on an automail order, and Den was laying on the rug in the living room floor.

"I'm glad you seem to be doing better these days." Al said, sitting the glass down after gulping down half of his drink.

"Yea, it's gotten a little easier. Seeing you so confident in him has really helped me." she sighed, putting some chicken away in the fridge for dinner later.

"I'm glad I could help you, Winry." the younger brother smiled.

Pinako emerged from the small shop that was connected to the house, she smiled at her granddaughter and then at Al.

"Why don't you go and do a final check on that arm for Mr. Smith, kid?" she said to Winry taking some apples out of her hands and putting them away for her. "I'm not as sharp as I used to be, wouldn't want to mess up a loyal client's automail." she winked.

"Aw, I'm sure you didn't miss anything, you're a perfectionist, Granny. I'll go check for you though, I want to see how it turned out." Winry bent down and kissed her grandmother on the forehead and made her way to the shop. Al was still sitting at the table, he then got up to sit on the couch with Den. Pinako put away the remaining groceries, poured herself a glass of lemonade and came to sit by Al.

"Alphonse," she said, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"Hm?" he looked up from petting Den.

"Thank you, I know you've been helping Winry through this. It's almost like she's her old self again, but I know she won't be entirely happy until she sees your brother come through that door." she sighed and took another sip of her drink.

"You're welcome, Auntie."

"What makes you so sure that he's coming? Really, it's been five years already..."

"I know how long it's been." he started, looking down at his feet. "Ed is coming home. I promise you." He looked back up at her and she sighed. "He told me, before he went through The Gate, he told me to tell Winry to wait for him. Auntie, he wouldn't tell me that if he wasn't sure he would make it home." she looked at Al surprised.

"How?"

"Well, how did the connection between our worlds show up in the first place? If it happened once, it can happen again. I know my brother, he won't stop until he finds a way, he's going to come home someday."

Pinako nodded at his words and stood up from the couch, "Then we'll be here waiting until then." she smiled at Al and returned to the kitchen. Winry emerged from the shop a few minutes later shaking her head in amusement.

"I told you, Granny, you're a perfectionist." she smiled at her grandmother.

"Hm." Pinako finished drying her clean glass and then sat it on the dish rack to dry. She knew she hadn't missed a single screw on the order, she had done a final check herself. She just wanted to talk to Al in private, afraid that bringing up Edward would upset her granddaughter.  
___

After dinner, Pinako and Winry went into the shop to start on another customer's order. Al decided to sit on the porch for a while and Den headed out after him to keep him company.

"I smell rain." Alphonse sighed looking over at Den. The dog barked as if agreeing to what he was saying. Then turned his head quickly and started barking at something coming up the dirt road. Or was it some_one_?

"Shh, it's alright, boy." Al calmed the dog, but he continued barking. He squinted his eyes at the dark figure who seemed to be limping and struggling with each step, trying to make out his face. Al gasped when the figure came close enough to finally make out who he was.

"BROTHER!"  
___

_I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I already have chapter two finished and have already started on chapter three, so please review! I would love to know that my story is being read!_


	3. Picking Up the Pieces

Thanks everyone for your reviews! I'm glad that you all like it so far. All of your questions will be answered in this chapter! Enjoy. =]

**Chapter Two:  
****Picking Up the Pieces  
**___

Edward did not know how long he had been walking, the past few days were just a blur to him. The minute he awoke and realized that he was back in Amestris, he had not stopped moving, whether he was traveling by car, train, or walking, he did not stop, not to rest, not even to eat. He had to get back to Rizenbul. All he could see was her face and he was aching to be able to finally hold her and hear her voice. After _five_ years. He could finally see the lights of the Rockbell home, he could feel the warmth pouring out of the old two story house, even being half a mile away. His prosthetic leg was about to give and each step caused the piece of junk to grind into what was left of his actual leg. He cursed under his breath at the pain. He was exhausted.

"BROTHER!"

Ed's head jolted up from looking down at his leg to see his younger brother and Den running towards him. A weary smile crept across his face. Al nearly tackled Ed to the ground with his sudden embrace, knocking him of balance. It was pouring now and Den was slinging mud all over them, running around them in circles, and barking happily.

"Brother...I can't believe it...finally. Welcome home!"

Edward wrapped his arms around his brother, "Thanks, Al." he whispered.  
___

"What the hell is Den barking at?" Winry asked annoyed. The barking had broken their concentration. Pinako simply shrugged and continued working.

"I'm beat. I need a break anyway." Winry sighed. She removed the pink bandanna from her head and wiped away the beads of sweat from her forehead, then tossed it onto the work bench. She got a glass of water and went over to the window that looked out into the front yard. It started to rain. She thought she saw Al and Den out in the road, so she squinted her eyes to try and make out the figures in the dark. Her glass fell to the floor and shattered. She flung the front door open.

"Granny, come quick!" she yelled into the house from the doorway. She then sprinted over to where Al, Ed, and Den were.

Ed lifted his head from Al's shoulder when he heard someone coming and gasped. There she was. It was as if his heart was about to explode, her long, blonde hair was in a messy bun and she was wearing her usual work clothes: overalls hanging off her shoulders and her black tube top. She no longer looked like the innocent seventeen year old that he daydreamed about. No, she now a _woman_ as he was now a _man_. She was the most beautiful woman that Edward Elric had ever seen. His heart was practically doing back flips in his chest. Realizing that his mouth was still hanging open, he collected himself and slowly made his way toward Winry. She was drenched from the rain, but Ed could tell she was crying. He always made her cry, so he was quite familiar with the look. Winry's hand was on her chest, over her heart as if she could feel the missing pieces coming back into place the closer Ed came.

He made his way to her and gently cupped the side of her face with his flesh hand. She continued looking into his amber eyes, trying not to blink, afraid that this was a dream, and if she blinked, he would disappear. He brought his prosthetic arm up and placed his other hand on the opposite cheek, holding it as if it were the most delicate thing in the world, like her face would break in his hands if he held it too tight. Edward then pulled her face to his and pressed his lips firmly against her's for their first kiss. Winry immediately threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips harder onto his. Ed moved his arms down and wrapped them around her small waist and then lowered them down right under her bottom on her upper thighs, he squeezed her as he lifted her up, her legs wrapped tight around his lower back as if she was afraid he would break away and leave. He licked her bottom lip, wanting to deepen the kiss and she opened her mouth, begging for him to come in. He tasted every inch of her mouth, not leaving a single corner out. Their tounges wrestled as Ed squeezed Winry closer, she gasped for air and looked into Ed's eyes and he into hers.

"Ed..." she started crying again and buried her face in his left shoulder. She could not believe that he was here. He was finally _home_. She calmed herself down and lifted her head to look into his eyes once more. His eyes were like a drug, they just kept pulling her back into them, all she could do was stare. He softly smiled at her, placed his flesh hand on the back of her head and brought it to his right shoulder. She laid her head down, hiccuping every few seconds from sobbing moments earlier. He began stroking her hair and tracing his fingers on her back. She hadn't even heard him speak and she could already tell that he was a completely different person, she couldn't picture the seventeen year old Ed holding her like this. Winry felt so safe in his arms, she didn't have a care in the world. They stayed like that for a few minutes just taking each other in. They were both shivering at this point, but neither of them dared to move.

"Well are you gonna stay out there all night? Get in here you two before you catch pneumonia!" Pinako yelled from the front porch. She couldn't hide her grin. Al was laughing by her side. He and Den started heading back to the front porch when Ed saw Winry, he knew they would be out there for a while and he didn't want to be the one that got sick. Winry blushed when she saw her grandma and Al laughing from the front porch, Ed sighed as he put her down.

"Let's go." she laughed looking over at Ed. He looked like a different boy, alright,...scratch that, he looked like a twenty two year old _man_. Edward was towering over Winry by at least four or five inches, his blonde hair longer and pulled back into a loose ponytail, his face showed signs of stress and fatigue. Winry's heart broke at the sight of him, she knew he had a rough journey, but at the same time, she was falling head over heels all over again. He looked so...grown up. Her heart seemed to have skipped a beat as he grabbed her hand, snapping her back into reality.

"Come on, Win." he pulled her close and laced his fingers with hers and they walked slowly to the front porch. Ed was limping and Winry knew it was from that damned German excuse for a leg that he was wearing. She frowned when she saw what it was doing to the flesh he had left on his upper thigh.

"How unprofessional." she muttered to herself and squeezed Ed's hand as they made it to the steps.

Ed collapsed on the couch and Winry ran to get a warm wash cloth to try and clean him up a little, he was covered in mud and blood. He kicked off his boots and took his socks off. She helped him take his shirt and pants off which were soaked from the rain. His shoulders were more broad and his muscles were defined even more than they were when they were teenagers. He looked amazing, despite his injuries. She cringed at the condition he was in. He had gashes up and down his arms and his chest and bruises all over his whole body, his perfect body.

"Edward...what happened to you?" she asked, gently wiping some mud off his face and looking into his eyes. He turned and looked away, she knew that he didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't ready. She frowned, but understood and started tinkering with the prosthetic leg.

"So how long did that automail last you?"

"About a year." he sighed. "I started walking funny half a year later though. I guess I grew an inch or two and it threw the entire balance of the leg off. It drove me crazy. My arm lasted about three years cause it didn't bother me as much to have one arm longer than the other. I wanted to keep them as long as I could since it was the only piece of you that I had left with me besides memories." he trailed off and looked at Winry who was looking up at him with tears in her eyes. He stared back at her with the softest look on his face. Whatever happened to him, it certainly did not break him. Next to Al, Edward Elric was the strongest person she knew. He reached his flesh hand up again to cup her face. She took his hand in hers and gently kissed the back of it and continued cleaning the cuts, all the while Ed not taking his eyes off of her.

"I think we should get those fake limbs off of you now, Edward." Pinako said lifting up his leg and placing in on the footrest. " If we keep this leg on any longer and you continue walking on it you might get an infection with the rusty metal rubbing against the gashes it created on your thigh, that's the last thing we need right now."

"Go right ahead, Auntie." Ed said, putting his arms behind his head as if he were relaxed. "I've been dying to get these things taken off the day they were put on."

"Okay then, Winry? You get his arm. We'll do this at the same time if we can."

"Alright, I'm ready." Winry said when she found where to disconnect his arm and got a firm grip on it.

"One...two...three!" Pinkao said as she and Winry pulled the prostetic limbs off. He clenched his teeth and his fist, but did not make a noise. The pain subsided and he relaxed again.

"Here, brother." Al offered him some asprin and a glass of water. Ed smiled at him and took the medicine and a sip of water.

"I'm gonna change my clothes and then go get a warm bath started for you, Ed." Winry said standing up. "Al, can you help him get up the stairs when it's ready? It'll be ready in about five minutes."

"Of course." Al placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. She smiled at them and turned to go up the stairs. She got a towel and a few wash cloths out of the hall closet and headed into the bathroom, placing them on the table. She started the water and quickly ran into her room to change into some sweats and a tank top. Pinako was back in the shop, she threw the prosthetic limbs in the "scrap metal" pile and started going over Ed's new arm and leg.

"How are you doing, brother?" Al asked concerned.

"I'm fine, just a little tired." he answered. He was still looking up the stairs, wishing Winry didn't leave him so soon. Even if they were a few rooms apart, he was anxious to hold her and kiss her again. Al laughed at his brother and stood up.

"See?"

"See what?" Ed said jerking his head back and turning a slight shade of pink. He knew what Al was getting at.

"I told you she loves you, Ed. She has for a long time now, I think almost as long as you've loved her." Al said offering his hand to help his brother up.

"Thank you for staying here with her, Al." he said, reaching his arm out to Al and pulling against his weight. Al placed his brother's flesh arm around his neck and they began making their way toward the steps.

"I'm glad that I could help, she is my best friend, too after all." Al said, he then looked over at Ed, "Are you going to tell her? About what happened? You did come here from Germany, right?"

"Yea."

"She really cares about you, brother. It's hurting her to see you like this. She knows you aren't going to tell her everything right away, but make sure you tell her."

"I know."

"Alright." Al said, looking over at his brother again. Al looked into Ed's eyes and then back down at the floor, he frowned. Ed's eyes alone showed more grief and pain than anyone's in the house put together.

"Here, Al." Winry said reaching her arms out for Ed. "I'll take it from here if you don't mind. You go get into some dry clothes and relax, I'll call you when I need help getting him back downstairs."

Al let go of Ed's wrist and steadied him as Ed wrapped his arm around Winry's neck and placed his hand on her small shoulder. Ed mouthed the words _"Thank you."_ to his brother and Al nodded and smiled. He turned and headed down the hallway then back down the stairs.

"Winry I can hop over to the tub if I'm too heavy, I don't want you to strain your back or anything." Ed offered.

"Don't be ridiculous." she shook her head. They turned away from the doorway and faced the tub, it was about five feet away from them. She grabbed Ed's wrist with one hand and wrapped her arm around his waist with the other and started moving, he was pretty heavy, but Winry didn't care. They made their way to the tub and she slowly helped lower him down into the water. He grit his teeth as the warm water came in contact with his open wounds, but quickly felt relief as he got used to the temperature and rested his head against the back of the bath tub.

"I can leave if you want to take those off." Winry chuckled pointing at Ed's boxers.

"Nah, I don't mind leaving them on. Just stay in here with me, please?" he said looking up at Winry with those sunset eyes. How could she say no to a face like that?

"Okay." she smiled as she sat on the edge of the tub. He laid there for a few minutes without moving, as if he was letting the warm water soak away his grief. Winry was frowning down at him, seeing him like this was killing her. What happened to him anyway?

"Hey, Ed?"

"Hm?" he said with his eyes still closed and his head resting on the tub.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it." He looked up at her. "But, when you're ready, if you want, you can talk to be about anything. I know you'll probably go to Al first, but I just want you to know that I'm here." Winry softly said, looking down and clenching her fist on her lap. "It's so hard seeing you like this. I just want to help you and I want you to be happy again."

Ed sighed and sat up to take Winry's hand in his. "I will talk to you, Winry, I just need some time." he said looking up at her, she opened her eyes and looked down at him, surprised at his words. She didn't expect that answer, she was so used to being left in the dark by Ed and Al. "And I am happy," he continued, squeezing her hand a little tighter. "I don't think anyone could be as happy as I am right now. I knew that when I saw you again, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back from kissing you and I was worried that you would get mad and slap me silly." he laughed. Winry softly smiled and began rubbing the top of his hand with her other hand. "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life because you kissed me _back_."

Winry blushed at his words. "I feel the same way though, I thought you'd think I was crazy if I started kissing you." she looked at Ed, "I'm happy you kissed _me_ back." she smiled, reaching to his ponytail and taking the rubberband out. "Your hair has gotten so long." she said as she started running her fingers through his blonde hair. Ed nearly melted from her touch. What was it about Winry that drove him this crazy? Well that was a stupid question, he told himself. He knew that absolutely everything about Winry Rockbell drove him insane. He had wanted her for years, but knew it was a risk for her to be caught up in a relationship with him. He laid his head on her lap and nearly fell asleep until he heard Den barking downstairs and Pinako telling him to _'knock it off'_. They laughed at the old woman and Ed reached up and turned the water on to start rinsing his hair out. He washed his hair, body, and Winry helped him wash his back. She took the towel from the bathroom counter and handed it to Ed after she helped him stand up in the tub, she helped him hop out and called for Al. He ran up the stairs and helped his brother get dressed in his room and then helped Ed make his way downstairs to the shop. Pinako had already taken Ed's new measurements after they removed the prosthetics and made quick adjustments to Winry's close estimates. He sat down in the chair, awaiting the procedure.

"Ugh, I hate this crap." he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I know you do, but shouldn't you be used to it by now? Don't be a wimp, Edward. What are you? Twenty two now?" Pinako joked.

"Hahaha...old woman. I'd like to see you sit here and take this shit, you'd pee your pants!" Ed exclaimed, shaking his fist.

"You're just as bratty and pissy as you were when you were a teenager! You haven't grown up a bit."

"You're just as old and bitchy as you've always been, you're the one who hasn't changed, you old hag!" Ed bolted up from his chair, shaking his fist yet again at the small woman, forgetting that he only had one leg and toppled to the ground with a loud _'Harumphh!' _Pinako smirked and casually walked over to the bench to look over the new arm and leg one last time as if nothing happened.

"Edward, what are you doing on the floor?" Winry walked into the shop. She looked at Ed, then her grandmother, and then back at Ed again. They were glaring at each other. "I see." Winry sighed monotonously, shaking her head and bringing her palm to her forehead.

"She started it!" Ed yelled from the floor, pointing at Pinako, and struggling to get up. Winry laugh and helped him back into the chair. Pinako came over with the new leg and Winry went over to the bench to get the arm. Al came back into the room and sat in a chair off to the side. Winry and Pinako positioned the automail in front of their proper sockets, ready for connection.

"Alright, Ed, ready?" Winry asked.

"Yep." he let out a long and loud sigh.

"One...two...three!" she counted down and the pain came. Ed grabbed his pant leg and squeezed to counter the shock the nerves were taking from the connection. Winry frowned and took his hand, stroking it lightly as he sat there breathing heavily. Al ran to the kitchen to grab some more asprin and Pinako made a few more adjustments and then went over both appendages one last time. Satisfied with their work, she picked up her pipe from the work bench and headed out of the shop for a smoke.

"She's a fucking chimney." Ed snorted. Winry laughed and Al came back into the room with the medicine. "Thanks, Al." Ed said, taking the two pills and the small cup of water from his brother. "I think I'm ready for bed, I can't remember the last time I slept."

"Yea, you definitely need some rest." Winry agreed, sitting down by Ed. "Do you want me to make you some hot soup or some tea? When was the last time you ate something?" she asked worriedly.

"To be honest, I don't know. I don't think I've eaten since I've gotten back here. I was just ready to be home and to see you guys again. I was too anxious to eat."

"Ed, you need to eat. I'm gonna make you some soup and then you can go to bed, alright?" she stood up and began taking her gloves off.

"Yea, that does sound pretty good." he said, placing a hand on his growling belly. "Thank you, Winry." He looked at her and smiled, then grabbed her arm and brought her down to him for a warm hug. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"You're welcome, Ed." she whispered in his ear, then she brought her lips even closer and softly said, "I would do anything for you." His heart jumped and he squeezed her, then let her go and watched her walk out the door into the kitchen.

Al was bright red and giggling to himself, trying not to burst out laughing. He wasn't making fun, he was just so happy to finally see his brother and Winry together. Ed looked over at Al and shot him a death glare and Al nearly choked on his last laugh.

"Brother, I'm just so happy for you, I can't help but laugh." he quickly waved his arms in front of his chest defensively. "I'm glad you two are together and getting along for once." He nervously laughed.

"Yea, thanks, _little brother_." he smirked.

"Little? I'm like three inches taller than you and I'm twenty one!"

Ed's grin disappeared when he heard his brother's comment on his height. He shot another glare at Al and stood up from the chair. He walked over to his brother and they compared their height. Al was right, he was taller, by a few inches. Frusterated, Ed stomped over to the door and looked back at Al. "So what? You win. At least I'm taller than Winry. She can't call me short anymore, she's the short one out of us now." he laughed and Al started laughing too. He walked over to Ed and they walked out of the shop together and into the kitchen. Alphonse decided to sit on the couch and read a book while Ed sat down at the dining room table to watch Winry cook. She decided to use the leftover chicken from dinner and put it in some soup. Ed watched her wide-eyed as she bounced around the kitchen, fetching the ingredients needed for the meal. She was humming to herself and curling a piece of hair around her finger as she started adding diced vegetables to the broth. She was adorable.

"How's the leg feel?" she asked over her shoulder, pouring in the ingredients that made up her homemade soup.

"Feels like heaven compared to those pieces of shit." he laughed, referring to the prosthetics from Germany. "I'm a little sore from the procedure though and from wearing the prosthetic, same with my arm, but it's nothing."

"Yea, that should go away in a few days." she picked up the pepper shaker and shook it over the pot, tasted it, and picked up another spice shaker and shook that one over the large pot. Seeming pleased with her work, she sat the wooden spoon down and went over to the fridge and pulled out the jug of milk. Ed's heart sank. His eyes were glued to the gallon-jug, he knew exactly what she was thinking. She went over to the cupboard, pulled out a large glass and filled it to the brim with the nasty, chalky, vomit-tasting liquid. He stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth in disgust. Winry turned around and saw Ed's face and immediately started cracking up.

"Oh, Ed, grow up!" she sighed, "Please? I bet the last time you had a glass of milk was the last time I made you! I seriously doubt you made yourself drink some when you were gone. Just drink this one glass for me to make up for it and I won't ask you again for a while. Please?" she begged, battering her eyelashes and flashing her sapphire orbs at the man. The sight of her eyes made Edward's heart beat nearly out of his chest. He couldn't say no. He knew it.

"UGH! I can't believe I'm doing this..." he yelled, slamming his fist on the table. He picked up the glass of the white liquid and chugged it down in under ten seconds, gasping for air when he was finished. Winry burst out laughing again and then placed another large glass in front of him, this one filled with sweet tea. He snatched it up and took two big gulps to wash away the nasty taste and then sat back in his chair.

"See, Winry?"

"What?" she choked, trying to get herself to stop laughing and calm down.

"I'd do anything for you, too." he said, crossing his arms and looking over at her. She quieted, walked over to Ed, and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He blushed and watched her walk back over to the pot to pour him a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"I know you would, Ed. Why else do you think I asked you?" she giggled, placing the bowl in front of him as she sat down. He picked up the spoon she sat by his bowl and slowly took a sip. He didn't realize how hungry he really was until then and ate the whole bowl within five minutes. He ate two more bowls after that.

Ed was ready for bed, he felt like a walking zombie by the time he was done eating. Winry went upstairs to Al's room to put new sheets and a blanket on the other twin bed. Ed and Al were sitting outside on the front porch with Den and Pinako was already in bed asleep. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, staring off into the endless fields of tall green grass. Al broke the silence.

"So...how did it happen?"

"Hm?" Ed looked over at his brother.

"How did you get back here?" Al asked nervously, meeting his brother's eyes. Ed turned and looked away, off into the fields again. His face fell as he searched for words.

"I...died, Al." he said in a shaky voice. Al looked over at his brother in alarm and confusion.

"I was put on exile for starting a rebellion against the military." His eyes still on the ground, he clenched his fist. "Those bastards were taking lives, so many lives. Completely wiping out entire citys, like a genocide." He then looked over at his brother, "I saw them...kill the old, women, children,...babies." He paused, obviously holding back tears. He then took in a big breath of air and let it out. "The Jews did absolutely nothing wrong, they were hated for no reason. Hitler just wanted to take his anger out on someone, so he picked them. He had the stupidest reasons. His own _mother_, Al. She was a Jew. He _killed_ her." Al gasped, he couldn't even imagine what could possibly posess someone to kill their own mother. "I was one of the most wanted men in the entire country, I had a good sized group of followers, but they were killed one by one...because of me. Their blood...is on my hands." he exclaimed, holding up his shaky hands and looking down in disgust at them. "Finally, one of my closest allies turned out to be a spy and turned me in. They immediately arrested me. I was in prison for God knows how long, I'd say close to a year. They beat me and probably brought food once a week, if I was lucky. I don't know how I lived. I guess they just wanted me to sit there and rot, until one governor got the idea to execute me in front of everyone who hated me. Said it'd be something for the people to celebrate."

"Edward..." Al was choking back tears.

"I didn't really feel much. I was just happy...to be leaving that hell hole. That place was horrible, Al." A few tears fell from his face. "After the execution, I immediately woke up, or I guess it was right after, I don't know, but I woke up in front of The Gate." Al gasped once again. Ed continued, "I don't understand why, I was supposed to be dead and gone. I heard The Guardian from behind The Gate ask me, _'What do you want now, Elric? You selfish piece of shit. Are you attempting to live forever and follow in your greedy father's footsteps?'_ I remember giving that son of a bitch a few choice words and then it hit me, maybe I could go home. I asked him what I had to do so I could come back, I told him how much I missed you and that I was the only family you had left. I told him about Winry...I remember falling to my knees begging him, pleading for him to let me through. Even if I was only able to stay for a few hours, I just wanted to see you back in your body and I had to see her one last time." He looked away and shrugged, "He said that since I had been killed, there was nothing more that I could possibly give. He said that I had such a strong connection to this place, that I just couldn't leave entirely, not yet. I nodded and told him to let me through, to let me go back home. The doors flung open and those snake-like black arms grabbed me and pulled me in. Then I woke up in the outskirts of Lior."

"Damn." was all that Al could mutter out. He was in shock, he knew his brother had indeed been through hell itself, but killed? He couldn't find the words, he felt tears welling up in his eyes as he grabbed his older brother and embraced him. Ed hugged him and pat his brother on the back.

"It's over now, Al. I'm okay. I have no scars, bruises, or anything. At least from there." Al sat back and looked at Ed, he nodded and wiped his eyes. He knew he was too old to cry, but this was his brother. His only relative. He gave him the ultimate gift, he saved his life many years ago and then returned his soul back to his body. He loved his brother more than words could explain and couldn't stand hearing how badly abused he was. Ed was such a selfless person, he was only trying to help the people. They sat there in silence for a while, both thinking their own thoughts about all that had happened to Edward. Then they both jumped as they heard the door behind them open.

"Ed, your bed's ready." Winry said. They turned around and Winry flinched when she saw their faces. She could tell that they had both been crying and she knew exactly the reason why. She frowned and looked at the ground.

"I'll be there in a minute, Win." Ed said warmly, smiling at her. She nodded and turned around to go back inside, letting the door close by itself. Ed and Al stood and brushed themselves off. Ed smiled at his brother, letting him know that everything was alright. They quickly hugged one more time before they both walked back into the Rockbell house.  
___

Al had gone off to bed and Ed was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. Winry was sitting on her bed, waiting to see him pass by her bedroom to walk into the one he was now sharing with his brother. He stopped at her doorway when he saw her looking at him from her bed, he went over and sat on the edge of it.

"We'll talk tomorrow, alright?" he said softly.

"Okay." Winry nodded and took Ed's hand in hers then looked into his golden eyes. "I'm sorry, Edward. About...everything." He tilted his head, confused. "I'm so sorry, all the suffering, all your childhood, your mother, everything." A few tears were making their way down her cheeks. "It's just so unfair! You're so amazing, you and Al, you did nothing to deserve all the bad things that happened to you! Where was equivalent exchange then? I just don't get it!" she sobbed. He took her into his arms and held her, rocking her back and forth gently.

"I know, Winry. All that...it was all lies. I followed all the rules after what happened with Mom and got nothing but hell in return. I believe there is some form of equivalency, with The Gate and everything, but equivalent exchange definitely does not apply to everything, like I was taught all those years ago. I grew up basing everything on that theory and it did nothing for me."

"So, what are you gonna do now?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I don't know, Win."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'll back you up." she smiled and hugged him again. He squeezed her tightly and pecked her on the lips.

"I'm gonna go get some sleep." he said, stretching his arms out as he got up from her bed. "Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning." he smiled.

"Alright, goodnight, Ed." she whispered, getting into her covers and laying down.

Ed tip-toed into the room where Al was already fast asleep. He took his boots, pants, and shirt off and peeled the covers away to get into the soft bed. _Bed. An actual bed? When was the last time I even slept on one?_ he asked himself, closing his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.  
___

I will have chapter three up before the weekend is over, I'm already halfway through it! Thank you for reading.


	4. Words, Hands, Hearts

Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter Three:  
Words, Hands, Hearts  
**___

Ed shot up in bed, dripping with sweat, he had streams of tears stained on his face. He was breathing like he had just finished running a marathon. The nightmare of his execution was running through his mind.

"It felt so real..." he said, looking down at his shaking hands. "Dammit." he brought his knees up to his chest and laid his head down on top of them. He had been through hell and he was finally free, he certainly did not want to relive it, even if it was just a dream. Once was enough. He looked over at Al to make sure he didn't wake him and laid back down with a sigh. He tossed and turned for about twenty minutes until he decided to go downstairs and get a glass of water. He sat there at the table, flashes of his nightmare popping in and out of his mind. He clenched his fist and punched the table.

"I don't need this shit right now." He got up with his glass and walked back up the stairs and stopped when he was by Winry's bedroom door. He stood there for a few minutes, debating on whether to go in or not. Slowly opening the door, Ed peeked in to make sure she was sleeping okay. He smiled when he found her in the dark. Her left leg was hanging off the side of the bed and the covers were scrunched at the foot of the bed. He was trying to hold back his laughter as he walked lightly over to her bedside and sat the glass on her nightstand. She looked so peaceful. He gently lifted her leg back onto the bed and started pulling the covers back over her when she began stirring. Ed waited until she stopped moving and finished pulling the covers back over her, he then lowered his head to plant a light kiss on her cheek. Smiling at her once again, he turned and made his way for the door.

"Ed?" Winry called sleepily.

"Huh? Hey." he answered, turning around and nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are you alright?" she asked, sitting up with her eyes half closed. He didn't answer and walked over to Winry's bed, looking down at the floor. She looked up at Ed, confused and reached out to hold his hand. "Sit down." she said as she moved over to make room for him. He listened and sat down beside her, not letting go of her hand. "What are you doing up so late? You need your rest."

"Uh, I was just getting some water haha, see?" he said while pointing to the glass. Winry didn't buy it.

"You've always been a horrible liar when it comes to me. Spill it." she demanded. Ed sighed and turned away.

"I had a nightmare, that's all." he waved his hand.

"About?" she asked. Ed looked back at her, he knew that he needed to tell her now what had happened to him. He took her hand back in his and squeezed it tight and began telling her his story.

Winry was in tears, not knowing what to say. She was horrified by hearing everything that happened to Ed, she loved him so much, she couldn't even imagine what it must have been like. All she could do was cry, she felt helpless and useless. All those years, Ed had been going through so much pain and all she ever did was sit here and wait. She was overwhelmed.

"Winry?"

She was quiet. She then reached over for Edward and pulled his body to hers, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight as she cried some more. He held her and comforted her, not knowing what he should say.

"It's okay, Winry. It's over now." he said softly, running his fingers through her long blonde hair. She looked up at him, tears trailing down her soft cheeks. She then placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss, he closed his eyes and placed his automail hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. She shivered under the metal's touch and began kissing Ed even more passionately. She began peeling Ed's shirt off and he lifted his arms up to let her take it off completely. He brought his lips back to hers and slid the straps of her small, silky nightgown off of her shoulders. Winry then broke the kiss and pushed Ed onto his back, she slipped out of her nightgown and sat on top of him with her legs straddled at his waist. She was left in her bra and panties and Ed in his boxers. He reached his flesh hand up and placed it on her cheek. The moonlight was seeping through the bedroom window, shining on Winry's face and dancing along every curve of her body. He pulled her back down and began kissing her fiercely, pouring out all the emotions he held inside of him with every kiss. Winry laid down on top of him, her legs remaining in a straddle, she wanted to be as close to Ed as possible. The skin on their stomachs had met and he could feel her chest pressing roughly against his. Ed was about to explode, he had never felt like this before and never even dreamed of having these feelings. She began rocking her hips against him and he let out a soft moan. He knew that they needed to stop, so he immediately broke the kiss before he lost himself completely.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Ed sat up with Winry still on his lap.

"I just don't think we should be doing this right now." he said quietly, looking away from Winry.

"I'm sorry if I seemed a little pushy." she said sadly.

"No, it's not that at all." he looked into her eyes, "I just want you to be ready, Winry, I want you to be sure. I care about you and I don't want to hurt you, I don't want you to look back at your first time as a mistake." Ed suddenly paused when he thought about what he just said. '_This is her first time, isn't it...? She's twenty two, I'm sure she's been with another guy, look at her! She's perfect...she probably thought I was never coming home...she probably didn't wait for me.'_ A frown made it's way across Ed's face the more he thought. Just the thought of Winry being with another man was beginning to make his blood boil.

"Ed!" he looked up.

"What the hell are you thinking about?" she asked eagerly. She had been trying to get his attention but he was too deep in thought to hear her.

"Um, well, this is kinda awkward asking you this haha..." he laughed nervously.

"Ask me what?" she looked confused.

"This would be your _first time_, right?" he asked softly, looking away from her again. Winry grinned and cupped Ed's face, their eyes met.

"Of course, Edward. How could I with anyone else?" she started making small circles on his cheek with her thumb. "Besides," she continued, climbing off of Ed's lap and reaching for his glass of water, "you make me wait when it comes to practically everything, so what's one more thing added to the list, huh?" she laughed and took a sip. Ed frowned and crossed his arms. "Relax, I'm only kidding." she said. She sat the glass back down and scooted back close to Ed and smiled at him.

"No, it's true." he uncrossed his arms and looked down. "I do make you wait, Winry, and I'm sorry...I'm such an idiot. All those years, I couldn't even see what was right in front of me. I was too caught up in my own feelings to think about anyone else besides Al and myself. You're so amazing...I don't deserve you at all...all I've ever done to you is make you wait for me and cry. I don't deserve someone as beautiful and caring as you to just be sitting at home, waiting on me to get some sense pounded into my thick skull."

"Ed...." she shook her head. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

"I also broke my promise didn't I?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"That day, you held a gun up to Scar. I promised you that the next time I made you cry would be with tears of joy, that was bull shit cause I probably made you upset again and you cried...again!" he yelled.

"No, no." she calmed him. "Ed, that promise was never broken." she said with a smile on her face.

"Huh? When have I ever made you that happy?" he asked.

"That same day."

"What?" He was lost.

"After you told me that, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. When the train started rolling, I just looked back at you out the window until you and Al disappeared. I sat there for a few minutes, collecting my thoughts, I noticed that I had been thinking about you a lot lately, and thinking of you differently." She took Ed's hands into hers and looked him in the eyes. "That was the day I realized I love you. I started crying because I was so happy, I couldn't stop thinking about you." Ed took her into his arms and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"You said you love me." he sighed and shook his head, then squeezed Winry tightly. "You loved me and I still left you." he muttered causing Winry to break from his arms.

"Ed, you did what you had to do." she said firmly. "I understand, okay? Quit beating yourself up for God's sake."

"I love you, Winry." he said, pulling her back into his arms and embracing her, trying not to cry.

"I love you, too." she answered.

"I'm sorry...about everything I put you through." he whispered.

"It's in the past. You did what you had set out to do and it's done. It's over with. Now you can finally live for _yourself_ and do what _you_ want to do, Ed." she said. He laid down on the bed, resting his head on his right arm. He was looking up at the ceiling fan thinking about what she said. Winry looked over at him and smiled softly. He had finally told her the words that she was dying to hear all those years. She laid down beside him, her head resting on his left arm and her hand on his chest, he gazed into her eyes as if they were a portal looking into the future. _His future._ He knew now more than ever that Winry was the woman he would marry, he wanted nothing less than to be able to make her the happiest she has ever been. His thoughts were interrupted as she yawned and closed her eyes. Ed was starting to doze off too, he forced himself awake and sat up in bed. He stood up, picked up his shirt, and kissed Winry's lips softly. He then started making his way for the door.

"Ed, don't go." Winry called from her bed. He looked back at her, she was half asleep already, but reaching her arm out for him. He couldn't leave her. He walked back over to her and climbed back into her bed. He brought his chest to her back, laid his arm over her waist, and entangled his legs with hers.

"What about Auntie?" he asked.

"Just slip out before me or something..." she trailed off as she fell asleep. He smiled and closed his eyes. For the first time, he felt that his life was starting to make sense, like it actually had a purpose. Inside, he knew that he loved Winry all those years, he loved her so much that he never acted on his feelings, for the sake of her safety. He was now home and free of worry, he had his whole life ahead of him and he finally knew what to make of it.

That night he promised himself that he would spend the rest of his life with her and make her the happiest he possibly could.  
___

Sorry it was so short! I wanted this chapter to be strictly EdWin and there's only so much I can write about lol.  
Chapter 4 is in the works! Please review if you read, thank you.


	5. Looking to Tomorrow

**Chapter Four:  
Looking to Tomorrow  
**___

Ed awoke the next morning to the sound of his stomach growling loudly. Without opening his eyes, he felt around for Winry, then finally lifted his eyelids when he realized that she wasn't there. He sighed and turned back over to lay on his back. He kept playing last night over and over in his mind, deciding that it was the best night of his life so far. He smiled when he thought of Winry calling him back into bed, he was happy that she had wanted him to stay. Reaching his arms above his head for a stretch, Ed climbed out of bed and started running his fingers through his hair, combing out any tangles. He made his way for the bathroom while tying his hair into a loose ponytail. He opened up the medicine cabinet, searching for Al's razor. He knew he had to have one somewhere around here. _'Aha!'_ Ed grabbed it then looked around for the shaving cream. _'He must be out.'_ he thought to himself. His eyes were scanning the shelves and then stopped when they caught a glimpse of Winry's shaving cream. _'Guess I'll have to use this fruity crap.' _He wet his face and picked up the can to spray some on his palm, then rubbed it along his jawbone and above his upper lip. He smiled as he began shaving, recognizing the smell from last night. _'Winry always smells so good.'_

When he finished, he went into his and Al's room to get some clothes for the day. He was borrowing clothes from Al until he could head back into town to get some of his own. Oh, and of course some shaving cream and his own razor. He walked out of the room and down the hall, he could hear Pinako and Winry talking about a customer that was due to arrive after breakfast for automail maintenance. The smell of bacon lured him down the stairs and into the kitchen. Winry was squeezing oranges into a pitcher for orange juice and Pinako was at the stove, scrambling eggs and flipping strips of bacon. Ed walked over behind Winry and hugged her from behind, she jumped, not knowing who it was, then continued squeezing oranges when Ed whispered in her hear.

"Good morning, beautiful." Winry smiled and turned around to plant a light kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for another hug.

"Ed? You smell like strawberries." Winry laughed, smelling his face.

"What else was I supposed to do? Al was out of shaving cream and my face was starting to itch." she laughed again and kissed his lips softly.

"It feels better. Now I won't get poked when I kiss you." she joked, kissing him again.

"Edward, how did you sleep?" Pinako asked looking at the young man who was embracing her granddaughter. She smiled at the two and turned back to the stove.

"Ahh, I slept like a baby!" he winked at Winry and she laughed, knowing the reason behind Ed's restful night of sleep. "Where's Al?" he asked, looking around the kitchen and into the living room for his brother.

"Outside with Den." Pinako answered. "Don't you two run off anywhere yet, breakfast is almost ready." Ed was already out the door.

"Don't worry, Auntie, I'm not going anywhere!" he called back from outside the front door. He glanced down to see Alphonse sitting on the porch steps, like he was last night.

"Hey." Ed said walking up behind him.

"Hey." Al answered, looking back at his brother, then continued watching Den running around in the front yard.

"What are you doing? I found you sitting here last night, too." the older brother asked.

"Heh, just a habit I guess." Al answered, looking down at his feet.

"Oh yea?"

"Yea, I'd sit here for hours sometimes, just thinking...and waiting."

"Waiting on me?" Ed asked.

"Yea." he answered sadly.

"Hm. Well, what are you waiting on now?" Ed asked again. Al looked over at him with a big grin on his face.

"Breakfast." he sighed, glancing down at his empty belly. They both laughed and Ed started rubbing his own growling stomach. "You sure slept well, didn't you?" Al joked, elbowing his brother. He figured Ed slept with Winry since he woke up to an empty room and he was nowhere to be found around the house. Also, when he asked Winry where Ed was, she blushed and nervously said that Ed was still asleep. Al laughed when he remembered her reaction.

"Huh? Oh, yea." Ed laughed a little nervously. "I woke up around three and went downstairs to get a drink, then checked on her when I was on the way back to our room. She must've heard me, so she asked me to stay and we ended up talking for I don't know how long." he explained.

"About?"

"Everything. I told her everything, Al." Ed stated, looking down at his feet.

"How'd she take it?" Al asked concerned.

"Pretty rough. She wouldn't stop crying and I had no idea what to do to get her to stop, you know how I am when she cries, I froze like I always do. I just sat there, hugging her for a while and then she started kissing me." Ed smiled at his brother, elbowing him back. Al blushed and then laughed, he knew that was coming sooner or later.

"Then what happened?" Al asked again.

"I told her I love her." Ed said with a smile still stretched across his face.

"Finally!" Al cheered, slapping his brother on the back. Ed let out a _'Hmph!' _from the impact of Al's strong hand. He laughed and looked back over at his younger brother.

"So, what do you think I should do, Al?"

"About?"

"About my life. Like, for a job. What have you been doing?" he asked Al.

"I've just been doing side jobs around here, like helping with construction, farming, and stuff like that. It's nothing big, but I like being able to help Auntie and Winry out when business gets slow from time to time." Al said.

"Oh, gotcha." Ed said reaching his arms above his head for another stretch. "What do you think I should do? Am I even considered a part of the military anymore?" he asked, hoping his brother would know.

"Well, Mustang decided the best thing to do was declare you dead." he began, looking over at Ed.

"So they had to take you off of 'Active Duty' and put your name under the 'Killed in Action' list. It sucked, but Roy wanted the least amount of trouble possible. He knew that if he had told everyone what really happened, they'd either think we were all crazy, or people would abuse the information and try to make their own way to open The Gate so they could see it for themselves." he explained.

"Yea, yea, I get it. Whatever way's the easiest and causes less trouble for _him_." Ed snorted while waving his hand.

"Brother, he also did it for me and Winry." Ed continued to listen. "He knew that the military would want to question us about it because we were both there and he knew how hard it would be on us. We had no idea if you were ever going to come back. Winry couldn't even say your name without crying." he said. Ed's face fell to the ground once again. He knew that it had been hard on them, not knowing anything about where Ed ended up or if he was even alive for sure.

"I understand." he said, brushing his bangs out of his face.

"But, since you're not dead, Brother, your name can be removed from that list and put back into the other one just as easily. If that's what you want." Al said.

"That's the thing, Al. I don't know what I want to do yet. I do know, however, that I'm going to marry Winry, there's no doubt about that. I love her so much and I'm so lucky to have her. I want to make sure that I can take care of her the best I can and if being involved in the military is what it's gonna take, then I'll gladly do that for her. I just don't know what I would do though, I definitely won't be running around like we did when we were kids, I'm ready to settle down, Al. I want to have a family with her." he said, looking at his brother. Al smiled at the thought of Ed and Winry having kids.

"I know, Ed. It sounds like you should give Roy a call." he advised.

"Guess you're right." Ed sighed. They both turned around from where they were sitting on the steps when they heard the creak of the front door as it was being opened.

"What are you two talking about?" Winry asked, walking over to stand in the middle of the brothers. She bent down and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. They looked at eachother and grinned and then up at Winry.

"Oh, you'll see." Al said, patting her hand lightly. Winry looked at Al confused and stood up straight.

"Breakfast is ready." she informed as she made her way towards the door. Ed and Al jumped up and squeezed through the door ahead of Winry and bolted into the kitchen. She laughed and thought to herself, _'Some things never change.'  
______

After breakfast, Ed decided it was time to let Mustang know what was going on. Al was sitting by his brother on the couch, anxious to hear what they would want do to with Ed, and Winry and Pinako were busy with a customer in the shop.

"Hi there, may I please speak to Colonel Roy Mustang?" Ed asked when he heard the secretary answer.

"Colonel? Oh, you mean Brigadier General Roy Mustang? Yes sir, hold on one moment, please." he heard the secretary say on the other line.

"Brigadier General? Mustang?" Ed questioned Al.

"Yea, hahaha, forgot to mention that." Al laughed, running his fingers through his short, dirty blonde hair.

"Hmph, I'm sure all he's been doing is kissing ass." Ed snorted and sat back to cross his flesh leg over his automail leg, making himself comfortable. He then heard some shuffling on the other end and quieted.

"I'm sorry, may I ask who's calling? The Brigadier is a very busy man and has paper work that he needs to tend to." the woman replied innocently.

"Paper work? Yea right, the only one who does paper work in that office is Riza. He's just using that as an excuse." he laughed. "Just tell him it's an old friend."

"Um, alright. I'll try sir, but this is the last time I'm bothering him." she negotiated.

Ed waited a few minutes.

"This is Mustang." the man on the other line stated.

"Remember me?" Ed grinned through the phone.

"Remember who? Who is this?" Roy asked.

"Come on, 'General Jackass', you really can't tell who this is?"

Ed heard a loud thud and shuffling on the other line, Roy obviously dropped the phone in shock, realizing that Edward Elric was the only one who would talk to him like that. He grabbed the phone and pulled it back to his ear.

"Fullmetal, is that you?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yea, hey Roy, how are you doing these days? From what I hear, you seem to be doing pretty well. Congrats on Brigadier Gen-"

"Edward Elric. How in the hell are you talking to me right now?" Roy cut him off.

"Oh, I uh, I'm home. I'm in Resembool, calling from the Rockbell's." he answered.

"But, how? Roy asked, raising his voice a little louder than he had wanted to. Riza Hawkeye peeked her head through the crack of the door to see if everything was under control. Hearing what Roy said, she could tell that it wasn't a typical phone conversation, so she opened the door fully and went to stand by him.

"Calm down, that's why I'm calling. I'm gonna be heading over there soon, probably in a few days. I'll tell you about everything then and we also need to discuss where I am in the military." Edward said.

"Yes. Alright, Ed." he answered, looking over at Riza as he overemphasized Ed's name as if comfirming to her that he was indeed talking to the Fullmetal Alchemist that had disappeared five years ago. She gasped when she heard Ed's name. "Okay, call me soon. I'll have things ready for you when you arrive here." he finished and hung up the phone.

"Sir?" Riza questioned.

"Yea, it's him. Sounds like he's doing okay, too." he said as he sat down at his desk. Riza let out a sigh of relief and put some more paper work on Roy's never ending stack.

"What are we planning on doing with him? I don't think he will want to continue missions now that Alphonse is back in his body."

"I don't know yet, but I'll come up with something." Roy smirked. "And I'm tired of telling you," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him, and kissing her cheek, "don't call me 'Sir'."  
___

"Glad to see you two are doing well." Pinako said, referring to Ed and Winry and how close they sat to each other at the breakfast table. Winry jumped.

"Oww!"

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Sir!" she apologized, scooping her wrench up after dropping it on their customers leg. Pinako shook her head and also apologized to the poor man.

"Uh, thanks, Granny." she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"You're welcome. There's no need to be shy around me, I was in love once, too." she reminded her granddaughter as she began tightening a screw on Mr. Johnson's automail arm. She smiled, "Still am actually. Your grandfather may have passed on, but I will continue loving him until the day I die. I know that Edward is a good boy, man for that matter. He has grown to be a good man indeed and I know that he will take care of you, Winry." she said, searching for another screw in the pile of materials.

"You really mean that?" Winry asked, polishing a spot that was beginning to rust.

"I have all faith in him. He is a man of his word after all and Al is living proof of that." Pinako implied. Winry smiled and nodded her head. She was happy to hear that her grandmother approved of her being with Edward.

"Edward?" Mr. Johnson asked, butting into the conversation. "You mean he's alive?" he asked again in a surprised tone. He was a faithful customer, after all, and he remembered seeing the Elric brothers from time to time and also heard about him becoming a state alchemist to get Al's body back. He would often ask about the boys when he would come to the shop.

"Y-yes." Winry nodded when she remembered that the man had heard her and her grandmother's conversation. "You didn't see him when you got here?" she asked.

"No, I just saw Alphonse." Winry nodded again and continued working on the arm.

Edward was laying in the grass, in the field next to the house, and looking up at the sky. He decided to get some fresh air and think while Winry and Pinako were still in the shop and Al had taken Den for a walk. It was a warm summer day and the wind was blowing steadily, but calmly. He was in deep thought. He and Al had finished what they had sought out to do, they got Al's body back. Even though Edward did not have his arm and leg back, he was content with it. He had already accepted the fact that he would not be able to get them back and that they were lucky enough to get Al's body back in one piece. He felt that he deserved to remain the way he was for all that he put his brother and himself through at such a young age. Knowing that their struggles are mostly likely, hopefully over, Ed began thinking to himself once again '_What now?'_ He was debating on resigning his military duty and live freely, wherever he wanted to, but at the same time, he felt that staying in the military would probably be the smarter choice, though, he didn't want to admit it. He also realized that it wasn't just about himself any longer, he knew that whatever he decides to do, he needed to make sure that Winry would be happy with his choice.

"There you are!" Ed heard a shout come from the direction the house was in. He sat up and turned to see Winry running towards him.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to to you about the phone call since Granny and I had a customer. How did it go?" she asked, sitting down by him.

"Pretty good. He was so shocked to hear from me that it sounded like he dropped the phone." Ed laughed.

"Well that's to be expected. They believed that there was no possible way you could ever come back here, they've been telling everyone that you were dead. Granny, Al, and I are the only ones who knew the truth besides a few of the higher ups in the military." she said, sifting her fingers through her bangs. Ed nodded, remembering his and Al's conversation before breakfast.

"What a mess. What am I supposed to say to people when I go back to Central?" Ed sighed and laid back down in the grass to look up at the deep blue sky once more. The sky reminded him of Winry's eyes.

"I'm sure Roy will help you out." she shrugged and laid down beside him, arms behind her head and ankles crossed. She closed her eyes and took a deep, relaxing breath in and let it out slowly. Ed sat back up and looked down at her, smiling when he saw that she had a few grease smudges on her cheek and neck.

"Winry?"

"Yea?"

"Before you came out here, I was thinking...about _our_ future." She opened her eyes and looked up at Ed. "Where do you see yourself ending up?" he asked.

"Well," she began and sat up to look Ed in the eyes. "All I know is that I want you, Ed. I want to be with you and I want you to be happy with where you are in life. I don't want you to hesitate when it comes to life changing decisions if you know that it's something you really want." she explained.

"I want to make you happy, too, though. What do you see when you think about us in a few years?" he asked.

"I don't know yet, I just want you to do what you want to do. I don't want you to feel like you should do something only to make me happy. I want you to be happy with your life, Ed. The past ten years have been hard for you, you've been through enough and now it's finally time for you settle down and make a life for yourself." she answered.

"You mean make a life for _us_." he smiled.

"You're right." Winry nodded.

"What happens if I decide to stay in the military? Would you move with me?" he asked, afraid that the answer would be no.

"Of course I would. All I want is to be with you, I've been waiting to be with you since we were teenagers."

"What about Pinako?" he asked. Winry sighed and shrugged her shoulders again. She knew that her grandmother would be lonely here without her.

"Well," he sighed. "I guess I'm gonna figure all this out when I go to Central. If Mustang's got a decent job for me, then I just might stay in the military." he explained.

"Alright." she said, looking down at the ground. She would miss her grandmother and worry about her all the time if she moved to Central with Ed. But she knew that it was time for her to move on and start a new life. A new life with the man she loves. She smiled at the thought.

"Hey, Win?" Ed pulled her away from her thoughts and she looked back at him.

"Yes?"

"How come you never told me you loved me when we were younger?" he asked. She looked away again.

"I knew that it would be hard on both of us." she said sadly, remembering all the times she had to stop herself from telling Ed she loves him.

"I had to stop myself from saying the same thing quite a few times, myself." he admitted and Winry shot her head up. "I've loved you for years, Win. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I knew that I'd be putting you in danger if we decided to be together." he said as he wrapped an arm around her. "Even the last time I saw you. I wanted to tell you so bad, because I knew that there was a chance I would never see you again, but I held myself back when I thought about how much harder it would have made the situation entirely." he explained.

"I understand, Ed." she said, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Winry." he apologized, placing a hand on the back of her head. She nodded into his shoulder and squeezed him tighter.

"It's over now." she said with her face still buried in his shirt.

"Yea." he agreed and began stroking her hair. She broke free of his embrace and stood up.

"Enough of this gloomy talk, you're here now, aren't you? Our feelings are out and we're together now. Let's not waste anymore time moping around about the years we wasted before we end up wasting more." she said, reaching her hand out to Ed. He smiled at her, took her hand in his, and stood up. He pulled her close and kissed her.

"You're right."  
___

_Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know if you liked it or not. Chapter 5 is on it's way! =]_


	6. In Fate's Hands

_Hey everyone! Thank you for the reviews. I really hope you like this next chapter, the story is finally starting to pick up, I'm sorry if my first few chapters seemed a little dry, but now I'm pretty sure of where I would like to go with this fic. Enjoy and thank you again for reading, it means a lot!_

**Chapter Five:  
In Fate's Hands**  
___

A few days had passed and Roy recieved the phone call from Edward early in the morning that he had been waiting for. Ed told him that he would be leaving on the two o'clock train for Central that afternoon and was due to arrive around ten o'clock the following morning. He was anxious to tell Edward about the position that had been created exclusively for the Fullmetal Alchemist, approved by the new Fuhrer with much enthusiasm and hope in both the young man and Brigadier General Mustang himself.

Fuhrer Thomas Hayashi was a man born into leadership. Before King Bradley, Thomas Hayashi's late father had held the position of Fuhrer proudly for twenty strong years until he was murdered in his sleep and in his own home. The tragedy drove the teenage Thomas close to insanity, he became a drunk who would roam the streets of Central late at night, picking fights with passersby and breaking into liquor stores when his cup ran dry. He was later sent out of state to a top notch rehabilitation center, courtesy of the military, after multiple arrests failed to break the young man of his grueling slump. Roy Mustang was disgusted in him for abusing his natural heir to "military greatness" and was even more appauled when Hayashi was welcomed with open arms into the military after hearing of King Bradley's true identity and death. Roy nearly had a stroke the day he became Fuhrer, but learned to hold his composure during the man's first year in office, realizing his good intentions and bright future for the military. Roy and Thomas had a lot in common and he knew that if he became good friends with him, it would help make his journey to the top far more easier. They were close in age, too, with Roy being in his mid thirties and Thomas in his early forties. The two talked as if they were life long friends and Thomas learned that Roy was a promising man, thus the result of Roy's promotion.

"Are you going to tell me just what you are thinking?" Riza asked Roy with her hands on her hips. He was sitting at his desk, pen in hand, attempting to sign a few legal documents. Riza was making it almost impossible to read through the paper carefully to see what he was signing exactly. _'She's the one who's forcing me to do this and she won't be quiet so I can concentrate.'_ he thought to himself, gripping the pen tighter. He looked up at her and sighed.

"What are you talking about, Riza? I think it's a genius idea and I have a feeling that Ed will be all over it. He may be a little hesitant at first, but I believe that when he weighs his options, he's got himself a pretty amazing opportunity at his feet."

"I just don't think that he's going to accept a position that requires him to fight or use alchemy for fighting, for that matter." she said.

"What makes you think he's going to be fighting? It's not like there's a war going on anywhere around here." he said, continuing to sign papers.

"A war could break out at anytime, Roy." she placed a hand on his shoulder, "If that does happen, Edward would be forced to fight. What if something happens to him? Those boys have a chance at happiness now, I just don't want this to take their possibility of a happy future away."

"You talk as if they're still teenagers. They're in their twenties now, they're both old enough to make their own decisions and design a lifestyle for themselves. I have all faith in Edward, I know Fuhrer Hayashi does, also." he said.

"Don't let me down." she said.

"I won't, you have my word." he smiled, pulling her in for a hug.

Riza nodded, "I'm glad you understand, I was just making sure that you and I were on the same page."

"Aren't we always?" he questioned, grinning at Riza. She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "What do you think their reaction will be to _that_?" he asked, pointing at her left ring finger. She looked down at the engagement ring and smiled.

"I think they knew it would happen sooner or later." she said nonchalantly, walking out the door and down the hall to her office.

"What's that supposed to mean? Have I always been so easy to read?!" he yelled to Riza poking his head out the door, shaking his fist. causing a few soliders passing by to laugh at the General's new found humiliation. He had always been the overdramatic one of the couple.

___

Edward, Alphonse, and Winry's train arrived the next morning, they were exhausted and had aching backs from the benches, but Ed was anxious to talk to Roy. They made their way though Central's bustling train station to the streets, managing to catch a taxi that would take them to the military headquarters.

"This place hasn't really changed." Ed noted, looking out the car window. Winry and Al nodded, remembering that Ed had not seen the city in five years. They arrived at headquarters and checked into their rooms that Roy had the dorm's maids prepare for them. Ed could still hear the sound of Roy's scoffing laughter when he asked for two rooms after telling him that Winry and Al would be joining him, not even taking into consideration that Al could just as well share a room with Ed, Roy immediately began taunting him. He was smart enough to figure out that the young alchemist had finally admitted his feelings for Miss Rockbell when he could hear Ed's eagerness to bring her along after he asked why she was coming. _'I knew you had a romantic bone somewhere in that miniature sized body of yours, Fullmetal.' _Roy's mockery was ringing in his ears as Ed let out a frusterated sigh and dropped his and Winry's luggage on the floor. He collapsed on the bed with his arms and legs sprawled out. Winry followed and they both laid there for a few minutes. Al had already fallen asleep in his room. The hard, military dorm's bed felt like heaven compared to the wooden train seats.

"What time will Roy be ready for you?" Winry asked, looking over at Ed whose eyes were still closed.

"I don't know, the clerk said that they would have someone come tell me so I guess we should just wait here." he sighed.

"What do you think he's gonna say?" she turned over on her side to face Ed.

"No idea, but he better give me a damn good offer. I'm not staying in the military to just be an ordinary "dog", I'll tell you that right now. Roy knows it." he said with his eyes still shut. Winry sighed and laid her head down on Ed's chest. He brought his arm around her back and placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing her tightly. She then wrapped her right leg over his waist, he opened his eyes and saw the smirk on Winry's face, knowing just what was on her mind. He laughed and took her cheeks in his hands then brought her lips to his, kissing her deeply. Winry pulled his shirt off and moved to straddle Ed's waist, she brought her lips back down to meet his and he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her closer to him.

"Fullmetal Sir! Are you in there?" a familiar voice called from the other side of the door, knocking loudly.

"Yea, yea. Give me a minute!" Ed yelled, annoyed. He scooped up his shirt that Winry threw on the floor and quickly pulled it over his head as he opened the door. _'That was fast.' _he thought.

"Hello, sir! How have you been? It's been quite a while!" Sergeant Denny Brosh greeted Ed with a friendly salute. "Oh! From the looks of it, you seem to be doing pretty well haha." he laughed, noticing Ed's messy braid and Winry jumping out of bed to button up her blouse that Ed was in the middle of unbuttoning before he was interrupted.

"Come on, man." Ed snorted, pulling the door shut behind him to give Winry privacy. "It's good to see you too, what do you want?" he asked in an uncomfortable voice, trying to recover from Winry being on top of him.

"The Brigadier General is ready to speak with you, sir." Denny informed. Ed nodded and the young soldier turned to return to work.

"Hey, Win?" Ed poked his head in the door to see Winry beginning to unpack their clothes. "Roy called me down, so I guess I'll come back here when we're done talking."

"Alright." she said as she bent over to put a pile of clothes into a drawer, then walked over to Edward. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, letting her lips rest on kis soft skin for a moment. "Good luck."

"Thank you." he hugged her and began walking down the hallway. "Tell Al where I am if he wakes up before I'm back." he called back and Winry nodded.

___

"Come in." Roy called, looking up from his work when he heard knocking on the door. Edward opened the door and slowly closed it behind him, he stuck his hands in his pockets and casually made his way towards Roy. "You've certainly grown. Guess the short-jokes are no good anymore."

"Nice to see you, Roy." Ed softly smiled, looking down at him when he stopped in front of his desk. He held his hand out to the man, asking for a hand shake, Roy accepted it and glanced at the chair sitting in front of his desk, hinting for Ed to take a seat.

It seemed like they had been talking for an hour now or maybe more, laughing and reminiscing on old times. Roy told Ed about the new Fuhrer as Ed told Roy everything about Germany, about the rebellion that he was a leader of, his face plastered on wanted posters all over the country, and about the exile and his journey back to Amestris. Roy was amazed and almost couldn't get his head around it, Edward had certainly been through the brig, but shockingly, Roy could still sense his fifteen year old innocence behind those tired eyes.

"That's certainly some story you got there, Elric." he sighed, staring down at his desk. "I had a feeling that it'd be a pretty rough one, but death?" he cringed.

"It's over now, I don't wanna talk about it." Ed waved his hand.

"Yes, I know what you want to talk about, Fullmetal." Roy smirked. "I've got a hell of an offer I'm about to make you and I really hope you give this some thought and strongly take it into consideration. I went out of my way for you _once again_."

"Yea, you're such a saint." Ed mocked.

"You, Edward Elric, will be the head alchemist of the military. You will oversee and be in charge of all alchemists enlisted in the military, from apprentices to myself." he said, looking up just in time to see Ed's jaw drop.

"What? You out rank me by like ten positions! How in the hell could I boss you around? Although I do like the idea of that very much..."

"Three positions, Edward. That's another thing, too." Ed calmed down as Roy continued, "You will automatically be promoted from Major to Major General if you accept, which is a rank above me."

"Ha! Well in that case, I'm in." Ed joked.

"However," Roy continued again, staying calm. "The day you are re-inducted into the military to fulfill your new position, I will be promoted one rank."

"What the hell?" Ed raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Ed, we would be equals. This position was my idea and the Fuhrer and I are good friends. He understands my ambitions for this military, we have the same goals. He values my input and is eager to have me at the top with him."

"I see. So you're all "buddy buddy" with this new Fuhrer so you can trample your way up. I knew all you've been doing while I was gone is kissing ass." Ed laughed to himself.

"Well?" Roy asked, ignoring Ed's insults. He knew Ed didn't mean it anyway...maybe.

"I'm gonna think about it, Roy. That's a lot to take on at my age. I'll probably have grey hair before I'm thirty thanks to all the shit I've been through."

"I understand, Ed." he said as they both stood up to shake hands once again. Ed certainly was taller, he was looking Roy in the eyes. Roy laughed, seeing Edward's smirk when he realized he was the same height as him. Edward turned to walk out the door and rested his hand on the doorknob.

"Roy?" Ed called, staring down at his hand.

"Hm?"

"Thanks." Ed said quietly and opened the door to leave.

___

Winry was sitting in her room, listening to the radio when Al knocked on the door. He asked her if she wanted to go for a walk with him to visit with people around headquarters that they hadn't seen in a while. She gladly accepted his offer, it beat sitting alone in an old dorm room anyway.

"Hey, maybe we can head over to the cafeteria in a little bit and get something to eat. That train food sucked and I'm starving." Al suggested as they walked down the halls.

"Yea, that sounds good." she agreed and looked over at Al who had come to a sudden stop.

"Al, what is it?" she questioned.

"Just pretend we're not listening to them." he whispered to Winry.

"Eh? Hey!" she yelled when Al pulled her behind a corner.

"Shhh! Be quiet!" he listened closely while Winry stood there with her hands on her hips. When she saw the surprised expression on Al's face, she scooted close to the corner to hear just what he was listening in on.

"--Yea, that's Kimblee's gonna be a handful. Don't know why in the hell they decided to move him." one officer said to another.

"I thought I heard them say his name." Al smirked. Winry was still confused.

"He was fine in East City, I don't like the idea of him being transferred over here. There's a lot more people here in Central, what if something happens?" the other officer asked worriedly.

"How in the hell is that bastard still alive? Why are they bringing him here?" Al asked himself aloud.

"What are you talking about, Al?" Winry wore a worried look. He looked over at her and sighed, knowing that she wouldn't let it go if he told her it was nothing.

"Zolf J. Kimblee. He's a former state alchemist who went mad during the Ishbal Massacre. He turned on the military and killed some of his own men. He's a psychotic, bomb-happy, bloodthirsty killer." he said.

"Oh, well that's nice to know. Especially since they're planning on bringing him here. What are they thinking?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Don't know. Guess they really aren't." Al sighed again, knowing that nothing can be done about the situation at the moment. "Come on, I'm hungry." he said. They made their way to the cafeteria and sat down to eat when Riza spotted them from accross the room.

"Hey!" she yelled, waving over at the two. "Mind if I join you? It's been a while since I've seen you." she smiled, hugging Al then Winry.

"It's nice to see yo-"

"Ahh! Riza it's so beautiful!" Winry shrieked, holding Riza's left hand in her's, admiring her engagement ring.

"Thank you." she blushed, taking her hand back. "I'm surprised you and Al haven't heard yet, it's all over Central."

"Oh, you know Resembool. We never hear about anything." Winry laughed, taking a sip of her tea. "So Mustang finally decided it was time to tie the knot, huh?"

"Guess so." Riza smiled. "Are you three planning on visiting Gracia?" she asked Winry.

"I'm sure Ed's thought of it. I know he'll want to see them." Winry answered. She and Al had come to visit everytime they were in Central during the past five years. Pinako had often sent Winry to pick up some new materials and Al wouldn't let her travel alone.

"Hey, First Lieutenant?" Al asked after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Alphonse, please, it's Riza. We're old friends." she smiled.

"Um, what exactly was I hearing when I overheard two men talking about them transferring Kimblee over here to Central?" he asked close to a whisper.

"Oh, that." Riza sighed. "I'm not a big fan of it, myself. Turns out that he's killed a few fellow inmates during the past year. They are transferring him to the prison over here where we can keep him more confined and guard him around the clock." she explained.

"I see." Al nodded. "I just don't think it's a wise decision."

"I don't either, but I respect our Fuhrer's judgement." she said.

"So Hayashi's all for it?" Al questioned.

"Yea, he's the one who actually offered to have Kimblee transferred here. I don't understand his intentions, though it seems clear that security is the reason, I'm not one to question his motives." Riza stated.

"Yea, I know." Al sighed. "So, when's the wedding?" he asked in a happier voice.

"We haven't set a date yet, though I'm thinking we might go for a winter wedding."

"How romantic!" Winry cried. Riza laughed and shook her head,

"What's romantic?" Ed asked, walking up behind Riza.

"Edward!" Riza rushed over to him and hugged him. "My you've grown!" she smiled, looking up at Ed. Winry sighed, noticing how big his head was getting from all of his "tall compliments" it was about to explode it was so full of ego.

"Well?" he asked Riza once again. She blushed and showed Ed the ring. "Oh, nice. So who's the lucky guy?" Winry and Al laughed.

"Roy!" Winry laughed again, awaiting Ed's reaction.

"What the hell? He didn't tell me that!" Ed yelled.

"Calm down, Edward, it's fine." Riza said as she motioned for Ed to come sit at the table with them. The four of them sat and talked for a while. Ed told Winry and Al about his job offer and they were just as shocked as Ed was when he first heard it. Al was excited and proud of his brother, as was Winry, but she knew that if she and Ed were to make a life together, it would be based here in Central. She felt uneasy, but anxious at the same time. She was willing to uproot her life for Ed and she would stand behind him and support him no matter what his choice will end up being.

___

Edward was already asleep in bed when Winry finally got out of the shower. She wrapped herself up in her towel and tiptoed to the drawer she placed her clothes in to grab some pajamas. She heard Ed stirring under the sheets and turned around to see him watching her with a smile on his face. He had those eyes, he always looked at her with those eyes, staring at her with the softest smile painted across his face. She smiled back at him and walked over to the bed, purposely dropping her towel on the way.

"Oops." Winry giggled. Ed's jaw dropped again for the second time that day when he laid his eyes on Winry's naked body for the first time. She was flawless and looked so irresistable. Ed's heart began beating faster as she lifted one leg to climb on the bed, pausing when her leg was resting on the mattress.

"I'm proud of you, Edward." she said seductively.

"Eh...?" was all the man managed to mutter out. She continued making her way onto the foot of the bed, sliding her body to lay on top of Ed's. He was sure his heart would stop then and there.

"For today, remember?" she asked, tracing her fingers along his chest, sending goosebumps up and down his spine.

"Y-yea."

"What's wrong?" she laughed, sitting up to straddle him, once again. He was no match while she was sitting in him like this. He was like putty in her hands.

"You're just...gonna make it really hard for me to stop myself tonight, Win." he said in a shaky voice. Their first nights spent together consisted of nothing more than messing around, Edward wanted her to feel completely comfortable with him and wanted her to let him know when she was ready. Winry was being so forward all of the sudden, maybe because she was out of her own home and didn't have to worry about her grandmother hearing them and come knocking on the door. Ed's eyes grew wide when he realized that Pinako was miles away and couldn't kick his ass if she disapproved of their premarital sex. Even if they were adults, Pinako was old-fashioned.

"Who said I would want you to stop?" she asked innocently. Ed then took Winry's face and pulled her lips to his and began kissing her roughly, she immediately started moaning and rubing her chest against his. Without freeing his lips from hers, he grabbed her hips and pulled her down hard onto him while he was grinding underneath her. Winry whispered his name and sat up to take his shirt off. He ripped his pants off and paused when he was left in his boxers.

"Are you okay?" she asked when she saw him hesitate.

"I'm fine, trust me. Just making sure you're alright with this." he said. She nodded and he finished undressing. Winry lay on her back with Ed hovering over her as he began making love to the love of his life, for the first time in his life.

___

_I'm sorry to say that this will be my last update for probably a week at the most. I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out in a few hours (ughhh) and I stayed up all night, finishing this chapter for you guys. I couldn't sleep anyway lol, I'm freaking myself out over this stupid surgery. I don't know why I'm scared, I had a baby in April, you'd think I'd be able to manage just about anything after that lol, anyway, I hope this holds you over until then! I will be working on chapter 6 whenever I feel up to it cause I'll be in bed a lot, I'm sure. Please leave reviews for me to come back to! =]_

_Oh! One more thing, please let me know if you think the rating of this fic should be changed to M. I know the EdWin scenes talked about a few things, but in my opinion, that deserved a T. I do not plan on writing any sex scenes, so please let me know what you think. I wouldn't want to offend anyone if they weren't expecting to read something like this. Thanks!_


	7. One Sweet Love

_Yay! I'm back sooner than I expected I would be. =]  
Thank you all for your reviews and good luck wishes about the surgery. It went great, but I'm still a little sore and swollen. Nothing that won't get better in time, though.  
_

**Chapter Six:  
One Sweet Love**

___

Winry awoke early the next morning and glanced over at Ed. He was fast asleep, letting out soft snores everytime he inhaled a breath of air. She quietly giggled from hearing him and sat up in bed to look at him more. He was once known as The Human Weapon and yet, at this time, he was completely defenseless and looked so harmless. She moved her hand over to brush away a section of his bangs that were hanging over his face, then reached down near his hips to pull the covers up so they would cover the rest of his naked body, she didn't want him to get chilled. He stirred for a moment and unconsciously wrapped his left arm around Winry's waist while she was still sitting up, letting his head rest in her lap. She smiled and began stroking his soft, blonde hair that was down and free from a rubberband tying it back. _'You need a haircut.' _she laughed to herself when she noticed just how long his hair had grown. She was the only one, besides Ed's mother that would cut his hair and she wasn't there to do her job when Ed was away. She frowned when the thoughts of Ed's life on the other side of The Gate filled her mind and clenched her fist. _'All that time when he was enduring so much pain...I just sat here and did nothing.'_ she thought to herself, looking out the window.

"Winry?" Ed whispered. She looked down to see Edward smiling up at her, his head still resting in her lap and his arm still around her waist. She smiled back but the smile suddenly left as quickly as it came. "What's the matter?" he asked surprised. "You're not upset about last night or anything, are you?"

"No, of course not!" she answered quickly. "Last night was everything I ever hoped it would be, even more. You're so amazing Ed." she said while reaching her arms out for him. He then sat up to embrace her.

"What's wrong then?" he asked while rubbing her back. He heard small, quiet sobs excaping the blonde's mouth. Ed gently grabbed her shoulders to look her in the eyes, but she let her head hang, not wanting him to see her cry. "Winry, what happened?" he asked again. He placed the index finger of his automail hand under her chin and guided her face up to meet his.

"I just feel horrible. I love you so much, I loved you all those years you were gone and the whole time you were suffering all I did was just sit there, Ed. I did nothing to try and help you, I just let you _die._" she sobbed and Ed's eyes widened. "I love you more than anything. I didn't even try to save you and you've saved me so many times before."

"Don't say that." he said, pulling her back into his chest. "That's not true, Winry. There's nothing you could have done. Everything's over now, let's not talk about it anymore." he squeezed her harder and frowned. He felt her head nodding against his shoulder as she agreed to put the past to rest. "Weren't you the one who told me to stop thinking about the past?" he asked, Winry looked up at him.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Everything's gonna be alright." he comforted. They both laid back down in bed, in eachother's arms.

"What time should you get up?" she asked.

"I'm supposed to meet the Fuhrer around eleven for lunch to talk about my new job." he answered.

"So...you really think you're gonna do this?" she asked sadly and Ed looked over at her.

"I'm not too thrilled about staying in the military, either, but it's the best route to take. What else is there for me to do here? When we have a family, I want to be able to support you no matter what." he blushed when he realized he mentioned having a family with Winry aloud.

"A family?" she asked softly, smiling at Ed.

"Yea." he smiled back. "I know that if I take this job, everything would be taken care of. I really think we could have a great life here, Win. Don't you?"

"I understand what you're saying. I trust you, Ed, like I always have and always will. I may not like the situation, but like I said back home, if this is what you truly want then I will stand behind you." she said as she took his hands in hers. She scooted closer to him and buried her face in his chest, taking in his smell.

"I understand how you feel, but I promise you that everything will be okay." he said and Winry nodded oncemore. "What time is it?" he asked while looking over at the clock. It was only six, he still had a few hours until he had to meet Fuhrer Hayashi. He laid his head back on the pillow and thought for a moment. He thought about what he said to Winry, about having a family, and smiled. "Hey, Win?"

"Hm?" she asked sleepily, she had almost nod off back to sleep.

"Do you...want to have a family with me?" he asked softly.

"Of course I do, Ed." she said, lifting her head to look at Edward. "It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I've been dreaming about it since we were teenagers!" she laughed and Ed blushed again.

"Yea, I've thought about it, too." he admitted.

"What? No way!" she said, surprised. He nodded and and shot her one of his teethy grins while pulling her to sit on top of him. She laughed when he asked if they should start working at it now and told him she needed some food before feeling up to Ed's so-called "baby making". He threw some clothes on and went straight to the cafeteria to get them some breakfast.

"Brother? What are you doing up so early?" Al asked when Ed passed by. Ed turned to see his younger brother, dressed and ready for the day with a bright smile on his face, eating his breakfast.

"What the hell? Have you always been such a morning person?" he asked, tilting his head. He guessed being in the armor, always being the first one awake in the morning, kinda rubbed off on Al.

"Guess so." the younger brother shrugged and turned back to his meal. Ed continued towards the cafeteria line and got breakfast for Winry and himself, letting his brother know that they were eating in the room, he made his way back to Winry. They ate their meals and Ed decided it was time for him to take a shower and face the day. Winry whined when Ed wouldn't come back to bed, but understood his eagerness to prepare for his meeting with the Fuhrer. Turning off the water when he was through, he dried himself off a bit before wrapping the towel around his waist. He took the little container of oil from his overnight case and dropped a couple drops in his automail joints of his arm and leg. Winry would always get mad at him if he didn't take proper care of his automail. After five years of having ill-fashioned prosthetics, Edward learned to appreciate the wonderful miracle of automail even more and decided that he would try his hardest to take the best care of it for himself and to save Winry some work. When he was finished, he looked up into the mirror and saw stubbles of blonde poking through his chin, upper lip, and jawbone. After lathering the shaving cream onto his face, he began shaving away the unwanted hairs. Winry stumbled into the bathroom, sleep still in her eyes, and bent over the bathroom counter to rest her elbows on it. She watched Ed with wide eyes as he carefully shaved his face. He glanced down at her and smirked, she was always amused over the smallest of things, but that was one of the millions of reasons that Ed loved her.

"Hey, Ed?" she asked while standing up to grab a brush. "How 'bout I give your hair a quick trim before you go meet the Fuhrer?" she began brushing the small knots out of his long hair. He smiled at her while he put the razor down and picked up the hand towel to dry his face off.

"Yea, I'd like that." he said. Winry smiled, went over to her belongings, and pulled out a pair of scissors that she carried around with her in her tools kit, then rushed back into the bathroom. She rinsed any debris off of the tool and began drying it. Ed sat down on the rim of the bath tub while Winry stood behind him in it, so they could easily wash the freshly cut hairs down the drain.

"So, how short?" she asked while holding the pair of scissors open over a lock of Ed's hair.

"Don't care, just not shorter than I'm used to having it." he said. Winry placed the scissors over the spot she thought looked best and snipped a section of Ed's hair away. She carefully cut the rest of his hair, making sure that she was cutting it clean all the way across. She finished and ruffled Ed's hair, shaking any cut pieces that were still mixed in his hair loose. "Ah, that feels better. My head feels lighter!' he joked and looked up behind him to peck Winry on the lips. "Thanks." he smiled. She nodded and washed the remaining hairs down the drain.

"Do you like it?" she asked when she saw him looking in the mirror.

"Yea, it's great. You wanna come braid it for me?" he asked, smiling over at Winry. He remembered how much she loved to braid his hair. She smiled back and laughed when she noticed the height difference once again between them, but at a different angle.

"Kneel down for a minute, I'll go fast." she said and Ed listened. She quickly braided his hair and wrapped a black rubberband around the loose ends. He stood up straight and wrapped an arm around her shoulders while kissing her softly on her forehead for a thank you. "You look so grown up." she said quietly as Ed made his way for the bathroom door, he was still in his towel and wanted to get some clothes on. She came over and hugged him around his waist, he placed his flesh hand gently on her back as she looked up at him. "I'm so proud of you, Ed. You've grown up to be such a strong man, I know you'll take care of me." she squeezed him tighter and he wrapped both arms around her, hugging her gently and burying his face in her hair.

"And you've grown up to be a strong and beautiful woman, Winry Rockbell. I never thought I'd live to see the day where I could call you mine." he whispered in her ear. She kissed his soft lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, Ed lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him also. Without breaking free from her lips, Ed made his way to the bed and bent down to let Winry fall onto it, he followed and began lifting her shirt over her arms and felt like a child at the candy shop when he saw that she didn't have a bra on and all that was left between them were her little pink panties. He then began kissing her again, deeply and passionately, Winry moaned softly and dug her fingertips into Ed's back.

"Ed!" she gasped when his hand traced the skin hidden beneath her underwear. "Wait!" she laughed while he was removing the piece of clothing. He stopped and looked at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried if he had hurt her.

"I don't wanna mess up your braid." she laughed again, panting. He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Come on, you can fix it when we're done." he begged and Winry sighed holding her arms out to Ed again.

___

Ed jumped when he heard the telephone ringing and reached over to answer it quickly.

"Hello?" he answered, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.

"You're still in bed, Fullmetal?! You better get up and get dressed now! It's almost eleven! You better not embarrass me and be late to meet the Fuhrer!" Roy yelled through the phone when he heard the sound of Ed's tired voice.

"Uhh, right. Sorry. I'll be down there in like ten minutes, calm down!" Ed yelled back, slamming the phone down.

"Guess we passed out." Winry laughed. Ed smiled and kissed her, then shot out of bed to search for some clothes. He quickly dressed and kneeled down beside the bed so Winry could fix his hair. He kissed her again and ran out the door. _'Man, I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late! What a nice first impression.' _Ed thought to himself while making his way for the Fuhrer's office. _'From what I remember when I had to meet with Bradley, this has to be it.'_ he guessed while knocking on the door, not taking notice to the bronze nameplate hammered to the right of the doorway that read: 'Fuhrer Thomas Hayashi II_'._ Ed stepped back when he saw the door open.

"Come in." A young woman smiled. From the looks of it, Ed guessed she was the new Fuhrer's secretary. She led him to the couches that sat in front of the huge desk. Ed waited a few minutes, observing the office and it's changes. It definitely looked like a different place, seeing that the Fuhrer had some remodeling done. He immediately stood when he heard the sound of a door opening in the corner of the office. A tall, brown-haired man with dark blue eyes made his way towards Edward.

"You must be the famous Edward Elric." he stated in a gentle, but strong and deep voice while reaching his hand out to Ed. He shook Ed's hand and continued, "I've heard so much about you, Fullmetal Alchemist, and I know your story very well. Congratulations on returing your brother's soul back to his body." he smiled at Ed.

"Um, thank you, sir." Ed said politely. It wasn't like Ed to "respect his elders", but in this situation, he just couldn't help it. The Fuhrer had some sort of vibe about him that Ed just couldn't figure out. He didn't seem like one of the snobby higher ups that drove him absolutely insane the way Mustang did.

"So, Roy told you about your new job?" he asked casually, Ed was confused when he heard the Fuhrer call Mustang by his first name until he remembered Roy telling him that they had become good friends.

"Yes he did and I'm pretty sure that I'm ready to accept it." Ed answered.

"That's good news. Mustang thought you'd dwell on it for a week or so, why so sudden?"

"I'm just ready to settle down, ready to start a family." Ed's voice softened when he mentioned his future family.

"That's great, Edward. I've met Miss Rockbell in the past, she seems like a very nice woman." he said, motioning Ed to sit down at the table across from him when their lunch was served.

"She never told me you two met, when was this?" Ed asked.

"Oh, I've met her plenty of times, your brother, Alphonse, too. They would stop by on occasion when they were visiting Central. I was eager to meet the brother of the famous Edward Elric and ended up meeting your Winry at the same time." he informed.

"Is that so?" Ed asked again, taking another bite of the grilled chicken that had been served. Higher ups always had better food hidden in their office than the cafeteria.

"About your new position, Edward," Thomas began as he changed the subject, "I am looking forward to this new level of alchemy in the military, your position is a tough one, indeed, but I cannot think of a more suitable man to fill it." Ed nodded and let him continue, "Being at the rank of Major General, I will expect you to cover all work pertaining to alchemy in the military, from murder investigations to the stock of training materials. You will be the head of each alchemist and they will all answer to you, then you would answer to me." Ed nodded once again.

"Got it, sounds like a heavy job, but I'll take it." Ed stated.

"Happy to hear it." Thomas smiled. Ed could understand why Roy didn't hold as much resentment towards the man. He didn't seem like a such a tight-ass after all. "So how about you go through a few weeks to a month of training and we'll take it from there?" he asked, sipping his tea.

"Sounds great." Ed nodded.

The two men finished their lunches and moved to the lounging area of the office. Ed took the familiar seat on the couch while Thomas opted for the armchair adjacent to Ed. They talked over coffee about Thomas' future plans for the military and how he hoped to have Edward and Roy sitting at the top with him someday. A puzzled look crept across Ed's face at the thought. He could remember back when he was a teenager, how much he hated the military. He hated them for starting wars and taking Winry's parents away, but at the same time, he felt a sense of calm as his survival instincts took over. He knew that this was his best option and that this is what held his happy future that he had always dreamt about. Standing up to shake the man's hand once again, Edward thought to himself, maybe this wasn't such a bad place to be at after all. He did have many friends here and they weren't horrible people by any means.

Ed was soon seen out of the office by the secretary, after parting with the young Fuhrer. Thomas' words were playing through Ed's mind, _'I hate the word goodbye, so how about just a friendly see ya later?' _Ed smirked and shook his head as he continued down the hall.

"How'd it go?" A nervous Roy Mustang asked, catching up to Edward from behind. He jumped at the sound of Roy's voice, not noticing the man walking beside him until he spoke.

"It went perfect, Roy. Don't worry, I didn't embarrass you." he smirked once again and Roy sighed in relief.

"Forgot to tell you not to bark at him like you do me, I almost bit my fingers off from worrying so much." he waved and Ed laughed.

"You're pathetic." he said, elbowing Roy, reminding him to breathe. "Thanks for telling me you're engaged!" he yelled, rembering Riza's ring.

"Thought you wouldn't care." Roy laughed. Ed smirked at the man, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"I do care, Roy. I'll admit I'm an asshole to you, but I do think of you as a good friend. You've helped me out a lot during the past ten years, you and Riza. I honestly care about you guys." he said. They reached Ed's room and stopped in front of the door, Ed's hands still deep in his pockets and Roy rubbing the stress away on the back of his neck.

"So, when do you think you two are getting hitched?" he asked, glancing at the door. Ed smiled.

"I'm waiting til I'm settled down here for the wedding, but I've been dying to propose ever since I got home. Even before I knew she loved me, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Jeez." Roy sighed. "It's about time you two got together. You got a ring?" he asked and Ed shook his head.

"I wanted to get it here and I haven't had time yet. I'm hoping to look around later or tomorrow with Al or something." he explained.

"Right. Good luck, kid." Roy said, placing a hand on Ed's shoulder as he passed by to return to his office.

"Yea, see you later." he called and Roy waved a hand over his shoulder. Ed opened the door to the dorm and peeked inside, the blinds were closed and the room was quiet. He closed the door and headed deeper into the room to find Winry asleep on the bed. Ed smiled at his love and kicked his boots off, he lightly sat down beside her and was attempting to lay down as gentle as he could, but woke Winry in the process. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Hey." she said softly. Ed was laying down and scooted closer to her so he could wrap an arm around her. "How'd it go?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Great. I get to start in a month when I'm done with training." he answered and Winry nodded. "Hayashi seems like a nice guy, he's definitely easier to stand than Mustang. I think this is gonna work out, Win."

"I'm happy for you. I had a feeling you'd get along with Fuhrer Hayashi, he's a good man." she said.

"I didn't know you've met him already."

"Yea, I met him when I was here with Al. The first month you were gone, it was just so unreal, Ed. We would stay here for a few days, then go home for a few. We didn't want to miss anything if they happened to find anything on you." Winry explained.

"Yea." he paused, then looked at Winry, "What are we doing tonight?" he asked.

"Well, I called Gracia. I told her everything and she was so happy to hear that you're back. She's planning a welcome home party for you tonight, nothing big, just close friends and her amazing cooking." Winry smiled at Ed.

"That sounds great!" Ed laughed.

"Mhm, I'm gonna head over there in an hour or two so I can help with the cooking. I guess people are gonna start showing up around six." she said, getting out of bed. Ed sat up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt that he wore to meet the Fuhrer in. "So we're really doing this?" she asked from the bathroom. Ed stood up and walked in, she was washing her face to freshen up from her nap.

"Hm?"

"We're gonna live here and raise our kids here. It just seems unreal, even though I'm not excited about leaving Granny, I just never imagined my life turning out this way. I'm excited, Ed." she turned and kissed Ed on the cheek and skipped to the dresser to take out a change of clothes. Ed leaned in the bathroom doorway and watched her, smiling proudly and the beautiful woman she had become. She slipped out of her shorts and tee shirt and into a pair of khaki bermudas and a hot pink blouse. She was so simple, yet so amazingly beautiful in her own way. She was Winry, _his_ Winry, and he was so happy that he would be able to call her his wife in the near future. She looked up from buttoning her pants to see Edward smiling directly at her, but he had a far off look in his eyes at the same time. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, walking up to him and waving a hand in his face. Ed blinked and laughed at himself.

"You're just so perfect, Winry. I can't believe we're here right now and we're together like this. It just makes me really happy. I never thought I could be living a life like this and it's just the beginning." he reached his arms out to her and she came in to hug him.

"I know, I feel the same way. I'm so happy you came home." she whispered, squeezing his waist.

___

"This is it, Al." Ed stated, examining the diamond ring closely while he held it gently with his index finger and thumb. It was a beautiful silver, the band was lined with smaller diamonds, with the large diamond sitting exquisitely in the center. Al nodded and smiled at the picture in front of him, his brother overjoyed because he had finally found the ring he was planning on giving to their childhood friend, the love of Ed's life. Ed handed the ring back to the jeweler and let him know that it was the one, grinning when the man asked what size he would want, Ed answered, "Six." He had already talked with Granny before they left Resembool about marrying her ganddaughter and she gladly helped Edward out with Winry's ring size. The jeweler polished the stone one last time before placing it in the little black velvet box. He handed it to Ed and smiled at the young man who carefully slid the box into his jacket pocket.

"Good luck, son." the jeweler waved as Ed and Al left the small store. Ed waved back at the man and smiled, then returned to the taxi. They timed it to where they could leave from their ring hunt and go to Gracia's when they were finished. Ed was so anxious to give the ring to Winry that he didn't think he could make it through dinner. Al laughed at his brother, he was always so impatient about everything.

Everyone was waiting for Edward when he and Al arrived: Roy and Riza, Jean, Kain, Heymans, Vato, Maria, Denny, Alex Armstrong, Sciezska, Winry, and of course Gracia and the now nine-year old Elysia. Ed was almost overwhelemed from all the hugs, handshakes, and kisses on his cheek. The house was full and the food was plenty. After talking for an hour or so, Winry called everyone to the dinner table to eat.

"To Ed!" Gracia cheered, lifting up her wine glass.

"To Ed!" everyone followed and toasted to Ed's homecoming. He was blushing from all of the attention, but at the same time, he was content. This was his home, Amestris, he had so many people here that truly cared about him and loved him. He knew that if he had never found a way back here that he just wouldn't be able to call Munich his home, this was and will forever be his true home. He slipped his hand under the table and squeezed Winry's thigh, she looked over at him and smiled, leaning her head towards his when she saw him bringing his close.

"I know we were gonna ride with Roy, but will you walk home with me?" he whispered in her ear. Winry nodded and kissed him.

Dessert followed as planned and everyone was thilled to have a piece of Winry's apple pie and Gracia's chocolate cake. The party sat there at the table, talked and refilled each other's wine glasses for was seemed like hours until Gracia had put her daughter down for the night. It was past her bed time, she was too excited to go to sleep early and begged her mother to let her stay til they left. Everyone finally decided that it was time to leave, so Gracia could have her home back and Elysia could sleep. Riza, Roy, and Al offered to stay and help clean after hearing of Ed's plans to go for a walk with Winry.

Ed had taken her to a small park, she couldn't recall such a thing ever being in the big city. The entrance was tucked away in the corner at the end of a street, almost like a hidden treasure. Bright, green grass was draped over the ground, instead of concrete, and beautiful oak trees grew tall throughout, in place of buildings. It was dimly lit, just enough to where you could see ahead of you. Street lights were staggered on each side of the path. The couple walked along the narrow, stone walkway, hand in hand, reminiscing on old times and dreaming of the future. They suddenly stopped in the center of the park when they came upon a large fountain, made of cream colored marble and decorated with lights. The water cascaded melodoiusly down the tiers of the fountain, almost as if the splashes were notes to a song. Ed couldn't remember Roy saying anything about this. He guided Winry toward the structure and sat her down on the bench in front of it with him beside her. Ed was nervous, he could hardly remember the last time he had been nervous, it was a rare feeling of his. He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to face Winry, taking her hands in his.

"I love you, Winry." he began. She smiled at him and he paused, admiring the way the light graced her face, or was it her beautiful face that graced the lighting? He smiled back when he heard her say _'I love you, Ed.'_ and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "I know I've put you through a lot in the past and I don't know if I'll ever be able to make it up to you fully. You are a strong woman and you've put up with me since we were little kids, you're my best friend and my love, I don't think I could be more grateful for someone like you. I'm so lucky that I'm able to call you mine and that you love me in return." he moved to get down on his knee and Winry's eyes grew wide, he pulled out the small, black box and opened it. Winry gasped and cupped Ed's face with her hand.

"Edward..."

"I've put you through hell, Winry, and you're so much better than that. Please let me spend my life making it up to you. I promise I'll always be there for you and I will always take care of you. I love you more than I can say and I could never imagine my life without you. Will you marry me, Winry Rockb-" Ed couldn't even finish Winry's name, she threw herself into his arms, kissing him with all the love she could possibly give. He tilted his head to match his lips with hers and she placed her hands on the back of his head, burying her fingers in his hair. He stood up, bringing her with him, holding her in his arms and kissing her more. He then tore his lips from hers and took the ring out of the box. She nodded when he paused before placing it on her finger and slid the diamond on for a perfect fit. Winry began crying and wrapped her arms around Edward, squeezing him as hard as she could, causing the breath to escape from Ed's lungs. He laughed and picked her up, she gazed down at him and he up to her. They looked into each other's eyes as if they held the answers to all their questions, the quench to their thirst, the air to their lungs, and the very blood to their hearts.

Ed wiped the tears away from his fiancee's cheek and gently pressed his lips to hers one last time before setting her back onto the ground. They made their way back home and to their room with Ed practically beating the door down. He carried Winry to the bed while almost completely undressing her along they way, their lips never leaving one another's touch.  
___

_I hope you liked it! It was definitely a challenge not to make the whole proposal sound too corny, lol. Please review and let me know what you think! Suggestions for future chapters would also be nice, I'd love to hear what you guys would like to see in this fic. Thanks for reading!_


	8. When You're Here

_I'm sorry it's taken longer than usual for me to update and I apoligize for this chapter being so short. On September 27, around 1am, an ex boyfriend of mine was killed in a car accident, believe it or not, he's not the first ex that I've lost. Another ex was also killed in a car accident, but it was in Feb of 08. On top of that, I'm not sure if any of you have heard about the 5 guys that died here in Ocala, Florida, on Jan 26, 2008, I heard that it made national news, they were flying down John Travolta's jet landing strip and the car drove off the edge and they were all killed instantly. I knew 2 of those guys. Then, Danny died in February, a week later than the 5 guys. Brandon was killed in a car accident 2 Sundays ago, he was the passenger and his friend was driving his old camero, they were both drunk and speeding away from a cop, flew off the road and they were both ejected from the car and killed on impact. It's just been such a rough 2 weeks. If I didn't already have chapter 6 written out, I wouldn't have posted it 2 days after he died. I know he's an "ex", but we have a lot of history. We grew up together, I cheered with his younger sister, she's in 10th grade now, and I ended up co-coaching her squad when I wasn't busy with my high school cheerleading, I've known him since middle school and we were always pretty close, so me and my family grew close with his family. We were together on and off our 8th, 9th, and 10th grade year. I dated Danny inbetween. Then, Brandon and I just stopped talking altogether near the end of our sophomore year as we got busier, we went to different schools and had different lives as we got older. I got to know, and started dating my current boyfriend, Casey after that and we've been together for almost 2 and a half years now. Casey and I are happy and we have our beautiful 6 month old baby girl. So, that's 4 guys that I've known who are now gone due to DUI just in the past 2 years, 7 altogether. I'm sorry for going on and on, I just wanted to let you know what's been up and why it's been a while since my last update. If you are religious at all, please keep Brandon's family in your prayers. Thank you._

___

**Chapter Seven:  
When You're Here**

___

News of Edward and Winry's proposal spread as quick as wildfire. In less than a month, it seemed like just about everyone in Central knew.

Today was the day of Ed's military induction, the past four weeks, he had been training with Al, Roy, and Major Armstrong to help sharpen his alchemy skills. He was constantly studying in the library, trying to take in any information he might have forgotten when he was away. He aced all of his tests and oncemore, impressed all of the military big-shots. Edward Elric was the talk of the military once again.

He had showered, shaved, and now Winry was helping him with his uniform. He smirked at the man in the mirror, he never expected to see himself in a military uniform. _'Just what made me stoop so low?' _he asked himself, sliding an arm into his uniform shirt. _'Ah, that's it.' _he saw Winry's reflection over his shoulder as she was slipping into a knee-length dress. It was a beautiful, plum color and Ed decided it brought out the deep blue in her sapphire eyes. She smiled at him when he was caught watching her and she pulled her long blonde hair up into a clip, leaving a few pieces down to frame her face. She continued to get herself ready and Ed took a seat on the couch, skimming through the morning paper. Her brilliant diamond ring was dancing in the bathroom light, catching Ed's eye. He glanced over at his fiancee and watched her carefully put mascara on her long lashes, Ed smiled and decided to go check on Al. They had thirty minutes to kill, the ceremony would not be starting until two. He knocked on the door and Alphonse came and opened it.

"Haha, never thought I'd live to see the day of you wearing that uniform." he laughed, moving to the side to let his brother in. Ed waved his hand and plopped down in a chair. "What's wrong?" Al asked.

"Nothing, just waiting on Winry." he signed.

"Brother," Al began, causing Ed to turn his gaze over to Al. "I'm proud of you, you know."

"Yea." Ed shifted and crossed his legs. "Just ready to get this stupid ceremony over with and get to work so I can start making money again. I hate being broke."

"Who doesn't?" Al laughed once again at his brother's impatience.

"Guys? I'm ready." Winry called from the other side of the door. The two brothers left the dorm room to meet Winry and headed for the Fuhrer's office, where the ceremony would be taking place.

Ed and Roy stood in salute in front of Fuhrer Hayashi as he cited military quotations and Amestris' military motto. He then rewarded Roy a certificate of promotion and Edward a certificate and a new pocket watch. He took the silver watch in his hands and stared down at it. He had left his old one back in Germany, along with the infamous "Don't Forget .10" reminder inside. He decided that this new watch, with it's clean, smooth face on the back of the cover, would represent his clean, new life that he was just beginning. He smiled at the thought and reached his arm out to the Fuhrer when he asked for a handshake from Ed. The ceremony was finished and everyone applauded the two, newly appointed Major Generals.

After the luncheon that followed the ceremony, Edward decided that it was the perfect time to take Winry around town to look at houses that were on the market. Before heading out to look at houses, they stopped by the realtor's office and Ed ran in to pick up the key that fit into all the locks they installed on the houses that were currently showing.

Winry was staring out the window, eyes wide with hope, at the newly built homes. Ed smiled at her and asked for the driver to pull over when they spotted a house they both thought looked nice, he nodded and pulled into the house's driveway. They were inside the house for all but ten minutes, then the driver saw a disappointed Winry walking towards the car. He then drove the couple to the next house, then the next house. The pattern continued for about an hour or so until he pulled up to a nicely sized, tan, two story house. Ed could tell from the look on Winry's face that she was already impressed, she bolted out of the car and through the front door. She marveled at the wood flooring and the tall stairway that was off to the side, she liked what she'd seen so far. Winry made her way through the front room and into the next: the kitchen. It was beautifully made, marble counter tops, a large fridge was already in place, and an island was conveniently placed in the center. The kitchen was joined with the living room, which was also a large room. Ed met her in the living room, where she was looking out into the back porch through the glass double doors.

"What do you think?" he asked wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I think it's perfect and we haven't even seen upstairs yet." she laughed, still looking through the doors. "Ed, could this really be it?" she asked softly, looking up at her fiance with hopeful eyes.

"If this is what you want, then this is what we'll get." he smiled down at her, kissing her forehead.

They looked at the rest of the house and were just as impressed. It had five bedrooms altogether, including the master bedroom. Winry was overjoyed when Ed made the decision about the house, telling her to be ready to move in as soon as possible. They exited their new home and drove back to headquarters with their heads held high.

"We found it!" Ed yelled, bursting through Alphonse's door. He jumped, then grinned when he heard his brother's good news.

"That's great, Ed! So you're gonna use the money you got today when you signed back with the military?" he asked.

"Yea, but not all of it. I'm just gonna use whatever's needed for the down payment. You're gonna stay with us for a while, right? Until you figure out what you're gonna do?" Ed asked, taking a seat next to his brother on the bed.

"Jeez, Ed. I couldn't do that to you guys, I'd feel bad." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are you kidding? It's a huge house, it's not like you'd be in the way, Al. I'm your brother, I'm here for you. I know you can't afford a place of your own yet and who'd want to live alone anyway?" he said, ruffling the younger brother's dirty blonde hair. Al laughed and gave in.

"You're right, but I don't know how long that will last." he stated, pushing Ed's hand away. "_I've_ got a date tonight!" he winked at Ed and his mouth fell open.

"Whaaa?"

"Yep. Wait til you meet her, Brother! She knows all about you! Winry knows her and they're friends now, you'll love her!" Al was getting carried away in excitement.

"How long have you known her? Why haven't you told me? I told you all about me and Winry right after it happened!" he scolded his younger brother.

"Calm down, Ed." Al laughed, holding his hands in front of his chest in defense. "Her name is Abbie and I've known her for about two years now. We met here in Central when Winry was shopping for some new clothes, they hit it off and we ended up eating lunch with her and well, I don't know, one thing led to another. I got her phone number and kept in touch with her for about a month, then I came back here just to see her. That's when I took her out for the first time and it's been great, Ed. I'm really happy when I'm with her. You know what I mean, it's such a nice feeling when someone other than family cares about you like that." Al said, unable to control his teethy grin.

"I know exactly what you mean." Ed smiled. "So, when are you leaving?" he asked, standing up.

"It all depends on when she gets here. She's been out of town visiting family for a while, that's why I haven't seen her yet. I talked to her a couple days ago and told her everything that happened and that you were home and she was so happy for me. She's coming here so she can meet you." he explained.

"Oh, alright. Well, I'll be over in my room for now, I'm gonna go see what Winry's up to." he said, heading for the doorway. Ed opened the door to their room to see Winry in a fresh change of clothes and her hair let down, she greeted him with a kiss and hugged his waist tightly. He buried his face in her neck and began swaying her gently from side to side.

"Thanks for telling me about my lovestruck little brother." he chuckled in Winry's ear and he saw her smile.

"I wanted him to be the one to tell you." she said as they were still gliding back and forth. "She's great, Ed. You're gonna like her a lot." she hugged him tighter and broke away to tidy up their small room. He undid his tie, letting it hang around his neck and unbuttoned a few of the top buttons on his shirt. He plopped down on the bed to rest.

"When do you think we'll be able to move in?" Winry asked, sitting by Ed.

"Hopefully soon. I gotta call the realtor in the morning, don't let me forget." he said with closed eyes. A sudden knock at the door pulled Edward from his thoughts and toward the door, Winry hurried past him, yanking the door open to see Abbie smiling brightly with Al standing tall behind her.

"Hey!" she cried, immediately embracing Winry tightly. Winry shrieked and squeezed her friend in return. "How's Auntie Pinako?" she asked.

"She's doing fine, I've been trying to call her every day and check on her while I'm here." Winry answered.

"That's good to hear. Oh! Let me see the ring!" she demanded, taking Winry's left hand in hers. She complimented it's beauty and Winry led her over to Ed. "Edward Elric! I'm so happy to finally meet you!" she smiled warmly, then threw her arms around the man. He jumped at the sudden contact, but slowly placed his hands on her back to acknowledge the hug. "Thank you...so much. Al means the world to me and I'm so thankful to meet the man that returned him back to his body after everything that happened." she whispered softly, her arms still tight around Edwards waist. He nodded and she stepped away, collecting herself quietly.

"Thanks for taking care of my brother while I was gone." he graciously thanked Abbie and she blushed a light shade of pink. Al stood beside her and placed an arm over her shoulders, hugging her from the side. Abbie Daise was a twenty-year old, newly certified, elementary school teacher. The young woman made her big move to Central when she was eighteen years old, just fresh out of high school, she had plans of attenting Central City University to obtain her certification in teaching at the elementary level. She was a petite woman, just a few inches shorter than Winry. She had shoulder length, curly, chocolate brown hair and her deep blue eyes mirrored the color of the ocean. Edward could see the pride pouring out of his brother, she was indeed beautiful and Al couldn't have been happier.

"When's the wedding?" Abbie asked eagerly, looking up at Ed.

"It's all up to Winry." he smiled in her direction, catching her off guard. She laughed and shrugged.

"I guess Ed and I should talk about it, shouldn't we?" she stood beside Ed and placed an arm around his lower back.

"Let me know as soon as you set the date! I'm so excited, you two look absolutely beautiful together!" she cried, holding her hands together beside her face. Winry laughed and led them to the door, she waved at the couple as they made their way down the hall, hand in hand. Abbie was already giggling at Al's sweet talk and he was so taken by her that Winry swore the whole world could tell. She turned back to Ed, closing the door behind her.

"What do you think?" she asked, walking towards Edward.

"She's nice." Ed answered, sounding distracted. He was staring out the window .

"Ed?" Winry found his back and hugged it tightly, he turned to hold her in his arms. "What's the matter?" she looked up at him with worry.

"Nothing, I'm just..." his voice trailed off and he tightened his hold on her, holding her close. He laid his head down on her shoulder and let out a long, heavy sigh. "I'm just so glad...that my brother can feel with her what I feel with you. He would have never been able to have these feelings if he was still in that armor. I'm just so relieved that I was able to keep my promise to him, Winry." he took the soft material of her shirt and clenched his fist around it. She placed a warm, comforting hand on his back and sighed softly.

"I know, Edward, I'm so proud of you. Do you know that?" she asked him quietly, lifting his chin so his eyes would meet hers. He nodded with a small smile on his lips and kissed her gently. Before he could steal away, she pulled his face even closer to hers, kissing him lovingly and leading him to the bed. He gave in and laid down, she had already stripped him of his shirt. She sat on top of Edward and rubbed his muscular chest with her soft palms, taking his body in. She began lifting her top up, while Ed placed his hands on her waist. She shivered when she unexpectedly felt the cold metal on her left side and sank into Edwards touch, rubbing her bare chest against his and kissing him deeper and deeper. He broke away, hoping to steal a few breaths of air, he nipped at Winry's jaw and led his lips down to her neck, then to her chest. Winry gasped at Ed's roaming hands, they were raising goosebumps all over her entire body. Ed was hoping to discuss wedding plans with her, but that discussion would obviously have to wait.

___

Abbie and Al were were seated in the middle of one of Central's finest restaurants. He asked Edward earlier for some money and without hesitation, Ed lent his younger brother the amount desired, knowing that Alphonse would pay him back as soon as he could. They had finished their meals and were talking about the past month's events. Abbie was off in the South, visiting her family for the summer, and Alphonse was spending time with his brother who he had not seen in five years. She was so happy that Al finally seemed to be complete, she always knew, ever since Al told her his and Ed's story, that the Elric brothers were different. She also knew that Al wouldn't truly be happy with his life until his older brother would finally come home. She laughed at another one of Al's stories from the trio's childhood, admiring his loyalty to his brother and his best friend. She was hoping that she could also be a part of their future stories to come and of course, Al was thinking the same. They left the restaurant and were on their way to Abbie's apartment, holding hands once again. Al was holding a little tighter this time, making sure she wouldn't trip over her own feet due to the drinks they had during dinner. They laughed once again when Al stumbled a bit himself, but he regained his balance along with a smirk.

"I'm really happy that I got to see you tonight, Alphonse." she said as they stopped in front of her building's entrance. He took her in his arms and kissed her crown lightly. She giggled and kissed his lips lovingly and they said their goodbyes, Al heading for his dorm room and Abbie making her way up the concrete stairs. Fumbling through her purse for her keys, she looked back at Alphonse and smiled slyly.

"Wanna stay with me tonight, Al?" she asked, finally retrieving the keys from her clutch. He turned and his eyes widened, he walked back to Abbie and took her into his arms once again.

"Of course I do!" he cried. She opened the door and they climbed the stairs until they reached her floor. She opened up her apartment door and dropped her purse on the small table on the wall opposite the door, her lips not breaking away from his once. He picked her up and headed towards her bedroom. They both laid down on the small bed and stared into the other's eyes, taking one another in.

"Remember the first time you stayed here with me?" she asked, tracing his lips with her index finger. He blushed and nodded slowly.

"Yea, I was so nervous." he laughed, remembering the event clearly. Even though they did not make love that night and they still haven't, Al was nervous anyway. He never had a girlfriend before and had no idea what the hell he was doing. He was tired of having this feeling, so he decided then and there that he was going to conquer his fear and let his emotions take over. He then pulled her face to his, touching her lips softly with his own. She deepened the kiss and wrapped her legs around his waist as he laid down on top of her. Not wanting the moment to end at just that, Alphonse let his guard down completely for the first time in his life and let Abbie in.

___

The young brunette jumped up at the ringing of her alarm clock, also waking Al. Morning had come sooner than he wanted, he wished that he could stay like this with her, fovever. The sun was rising and shining through the curtains revealing the awakening couple sitting up in bed. It was six in the morning and Abbie had to get up and get ready for work as it was the first day of the new school year. Even though she wanted nothing but to stay in bed with her love all day, she knew that she had students to teach and she was eager to teach them.

"You can stay as long as you want, Al, I don't mind at all." she winked at the man while he laid back down, burying his face in the pillow.

"Can't you just call for a substitute?" he whined, his voice muffled, still buried in her pillow.

"I can't do that! It's the first day of school and I was moved into a new classroom!" she laughed, pulling the pillow out from under Al's face and hitting him in the head gently in a playful manner. "Plus I have to get there an hour or two early so I can finish decorating it." Due to her visiting her family, she didn't have time during the summer to fully settle in her new room. Al laughed and pulled her onto his lap, planting a small kiss on her rosy cheek.

"I know, but it was worth asking." he grinned and she hugged him tight. "Did last night really happen or was I dreaming it?" he laughed nervously and she blushed.

"It happened, Al. It was the best night of my life." she kissed his lips and made her way toward her bathroom door.

About an hour later, Alphonse and Abbie were on their way to Central Elementary. It was only two short blocks from her small apartment building, perfect walking distance, thus Abbie's building choice. She loved walks, especially ones that included Al. She smiled up at the man and he smiled down at her, he never imagined that he could ever be this happy, him or Ed. For once in his life, he felt like things were starting to go right for him and his brother. It felt as if nothing could, or ever would, stand in their way.

Kissing her quickly, but with plenty of love, Al bade Abbie farewell for the day. He promised her that he would be in this exact spot at three o'clock sharp, when school was finished for the day. He waited there, watching her until the school doors closed behind her small back. Sticking his hands in his pocket, Al headed back for headquarters.

___

_Again, thank you so much for reading. I really enjoy writing and it's a big stress reliever at times. Please review if you read, it encourages me to keep writing if I have people who are actually wanting to read more of what I write. I'm almost finished with chapter 8 and it will be up as soon as it's done!_


	9. Trust

_Thank you all once again for the very encouraging reviews! _

**Chapter Eight:  
Trust**

___

Edward got the "okay" from the realtor's office about the move in date. It was set for the end of the month. He would not start work until the beginning of next month, so he decided that it would be best to take Winry home until then, so she could see her grandmother before the move. He told her that she might as well pack up everything that she was wanting to take to the new house to save themselves a trip. Alphonse decided that he would be staying in Central with Abbie. She wanted to go to Resembool and visit Pinako, but she couldn't afford missing work.

"Winry, hun, are you alright in there?" Abbie called from the other side of the bathroom door. Winry had been in and out of the bathroom all morning and she was hoping that no one noticed.

"Y-yea, I'll be out in a minute." she answered, wiping her mouth with the back of her palm. She stood to her feet and turned to wash her hands just to throw up again, in the sink this time. "Ughhh."

"I'm coming in!" Abbie warned, opening the bathroom door to see her bent over the countertop, clutching her forehead with her right hand. "Jeez, are you okay?" she asked, placing a hand on Winry's shoulder. The blonde looked up at her friend and nodded weakly.

"I thought this was just a stomach bug, but I've had it for a few days now." she sighed, reaching for the bar of soap, washing her hands and face.

"Do you think you could be pregnant?" Abbie whispered.

"That's probably what it is...I have most of the symptoms and I'm late." she answered, referring to her monthly cycle. Abbie couldn't stop herself from smiling, but her expression suddenly changed to worry when she saw her friends face. Winry looked terrified.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, girl." Abbie reassured, but it didn't seem to work. "Come on, lets go get some breakfast. Al and Ed have been waiting on us and you don't want to miss your train." she led Winry out of the room and the two women made their way to the cafeteria.

Winry was quiet during breakfast, sipping her coffee slowly and carefully. She wasn't going to take a chance on eating, she was worried that if she ate, she would just throw it right back up. Edward kept glancing over at her from time to time, concerned when he saw that she wasn't touching the food he got for her. When he asked what was the matter, she simply stated that she wasn't hungry and took another sip of her coffee.

When breakfast was through, the two couples grabbed a taxi and headed for the train station. The group said their goodbyes after Edward purchased his and Winry's train tickets and Ed and Winry boarded the train. They waved out the window to Abbie and Al, who were seeing them off, before Abbie had to run to work. The train whistled loudly and soon it was out of sight, leaving the couple left behind in it's dust.

"Ed?" Winry called his name softly, looking down at her lap. He turned from the window to face her, tilting his head to one side when he saw that she looked upset.

"What's wrong?" he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, she scooted over and laid her head on his shoulder, her face still hiding. "Winry?" he bent forward some to get a glance at her face, searching for her eyes that were hidden beneath platinum bangs. She looked up at him and forced a weak smile accross her tired face. "What's going on? Are you sick? You don't look so good." He thought that he noticed something about her seemed different, but wasn't too sure. Winry had always been good at hiding her feelings when something was bothering her. She was tough and that's one of the many things that Edward just couldn't resist about his fiancee.

"Y-yea...I just haven't felt a hundred percent for a few days now. I think I caught a bug or something." she said, twiddling her thumbs.

"You sure?" he asked, looking into her eyes. If her mouth wouldn't say the words, maybe her eyes would. Ed could tell from just that that she wasn't telling him everything.

"I'm...fine, Ed. I'll be alright." she waved her hand, dismissing the matter. Ed sat back and folded his arms accross his chest. He was disappointed that she wouldn't tell him what all was going on, but understood that she probably wasn't ready to talk about it or didn't know how to say it. He shrugged it off and looked out the window again.

An hour later, Winry awoke from her nap and lifted her head from Ed's shoulder. She began shifting in her seat, trying to get comfortable. _'Shit, not again. Ohhh, go away, go away!'_ she screamed to herself, begging her stomach not to act up on this crowded train and in front of Ed, too. Sweat started to coat her forehead and she was suddenly feeling weak, she knew that she had to find a bathroom if she didn't want to puke all over herself. Her movements woke Ed and he watched as she began to grow even more uncomfortable.

"I'll be right back." she said in a shaky voice, standing up slowly, trying to overcome the dizziness. Ed looked at her and questioned her appearance with the concern in his eyes.

"Where are you going?"

"The bathroom, I guess I drank too much coffee on an empty stomach. The caffiene must be getting to me." she answered, then began making her way up the isle to the ladies room. Ed kept his eyes on her the entire way, making sure she didn't pass out or throw up before she got there. He slid over, closer to the isle to where Winry was was sitting and waited for her to come out. He'd have to get up and go check on her if she was still in there after a while.

Winry hurriedly bent over the toilet, the contents emptying from her stomach just in time. She sank to her knees and rested her head on her arm that was lying on the rim. She knew that the rim of the toilet had to be the nastiest thing on the entire train, but she just couldn't find the strength to hold her head up. After resting there for a few minutes, trying to gather some sort of energy, she lifted her head, then her arms, and forced herself to stand up. She turned around and found the sink, leaning her body against the wall while she washed all the way up to her elbows. She felt filthy.

Edward shifted in the bench once again, growing more impatient. Winry had been in the bathroom for nearly twenty minutes now. He stood from his seat and began walking towards the bathrooms, but stopped when he saw her slowly emerge from the small room. Her face was pale and looked like she could barely hold herself up. Ed met her at the door, pulled her right arm over his shoulders, and wrapped his automail arm around her tiny waist. Shaking his head, he helped her find her seat and sat down beside her.

"I know there's more that you need to tell me, Win. I'm not stupid. It's pretty obvious what's going on here." he said sternly, looking straight at her, but she just kept looking forward. "Why are you trying to hide it from me?"

"I just didn't know how I'd tell you!" she raised her voice slightly, trying not to cause a scene.

"What the hell? You're acting like it's something horrible!" he raised his voice over hers, now a scene was being carried out. She calmed Ed down and placed her hand in his, gripping it tight. His expression softened and he wrapped his fingers around her hand.

"No, it's not bad at all. I'm actually very happy about it. I just didn't know if you would be or not and I got scared. I thought you'd get mad at me or leave me. I tried telling you a few times yesterday, but I kept chickening out, like earlier." she sighed.

"Winry." he shook his head again, placing his thumb and index finger on each side of the bridge of his nose. "What kind of person do you think I am?" he asked under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. She flinched at the hurt in his words and suddenly felt a wave of shame overcome her. She loved Edward more than anything, even automail, she knew that he wasn't the kind of person who would be upset over an unplanned baby. He was probably the most loving man that she'd ever met and knew he'd be nothing less than overjoyed about a chance at parenthood. He took her into his arms and she buried her face in his coat, trying to hide her tears. He began rubbing her back, hoping to comfort her and whispered into her ear that everything will be okay.

"I'm sorry, Ed." she apologized, trying to stop herself from crying harder. He held her tighter and kissed the side of her head, taking in the scent of the shampoo she used that morning.

"It's okay, I'm just hurt that you felt like you couldn't trust me enough to tell me the second you figured it out." he sighed.

"I know, I understand." she answered.

"Winry, I'm going to take care of you no matter what and nothing you could possibly do would ever make me want to leave you." he said with stern in his tone again. He took her left hand and pointed at her ring. "This right here is a promise, it's a symbol of my love for you. Even if you took that ring off and threw it at my face, I don't think I could ever stop myself from caring about you."

"I know..." she was mad at herself. He softened his expression, knowing that he got his point across, and leaned back into the bench.

"I can't believe..." he smiled, looking out the window oncemore. "I'm gonna be a dad." Winry looked over at him, smiling wide when she saw the huge grin painted across Edward's face. She reached for his coat and tugged on his sleeve, asking for him to move closer to her. He scooted over, placing an arm behind her neck so she could rest her head. He leaned over in his seat and kissed her lips gently, then bent down and planted a light kiss on her stomach. He smiled back up at her and threw his arms around her, unable to contain his joy. "I'm so happy, I can't believe you thought for a minute this would make me mad. I never thought I'd live to have children, you've just given me the greatest gift I could ever hope for. I love you so much, Winry." he cried, trying not to squeeze her too hard. She laughed and hugged Ed back, trying to hold back tears yet again.

"I love you, too." she whispered.

"This baby...means the world to me...and I don't even know it yet." he said softly, with his flesh palm covering her lower abdomen. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to take care of you two. Don't you forget that. Ever again." he looked into her eyes and she nodded at him with a smile on her face, relief and love pouring out of her sapphire orbs.

___

"Wake up, baby." Winry heard a soft voice call her from her slumber, she opened her eyes to see Edward smiling down at her, she had been laying in his lap, fast asleep for a few hours. "We're gonna be there in about ten minutes. You didn't hear the announcement?" he asked. Winry sat up, rubbing her eyes, and stretching her arms above her head.

"Nope, I was out cold. I'm so exhausted and I haven't even done anything today, but sit here." she laughed. "If I'm this tired now, imagine what I'll be like eight or nine months down the road." Ed let out a small chuckle and brushed her bangs from her face. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she was wearing just a tee shirt and shorts, but Edward still saw her as the most beautiful woman in the world. The lights inside the train car were turned on as the train came to a stop. Edward stood up and reached above their bench to grab their two suitcases, he then made his way down the isle to exit the train, with Winry following close behind.

"Do you want me to see if we can get a car or something? I don't think you should be walking such a long distance." he asked, sitting the luggage down on a nearby bench.

"No, it's okay. I've been sitting all day, the walk would be good for me. It's nice outside, too, look at the stars!" she cried, pointing up at the sky. It was a cloudless night, perfect for stargazing.

"Alright, but if you get tired, you better let me know and we can stop for a break." he implied, taking the pieces of luggage back into each hand.

"Yep, promise." she smiled, touched that Edward was so concerned. All her worry about the future dissolved once again, she was certain that this baby would do nothing but bring them closer together. They were a real family now, a mother and a father, something neither Winry nor Edward ever thought they'd get to experience together.

Two miles down the road, Winry sat down on the cobblestone wall, that outlined Resembool's dirt roads, for a short break. Edward followed, setting the suitcases down on the ground beside them.

"I really missed it here. You can't see the stars like this in Central cause of all the street lights and tall buildings." she sighed, looking up at the night sky. Edward nodded. "Did you ever miss it?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Of course. I missed everything about this place, you most of all." he answered. "I thought about the day I could finally come home every day when I was gone."

"Did you ever think...you wouldn't be able to?" she asked, hoping it wouldn't upset him.

"There were a few times, yea." he paused. "Especially...when I was killed."

"Yea..." Winry's eyes fell.

"It's alright, don't worry about it." he winked, interlocking his automail arm with her left one. "Are you up to walking the rest of the way?"

"Yea, we need to get home before it gets any later. I already know we're gonna be waking Granny up and I feel bad enough." she answered. Edward jumped down and grabbed Winry's waist to help lower her down.

"You didn't let her know we were coming?" he bent down and picked up the bags once again and they continued down the dirt road.

"No, I wanted to surprise her." she sighed.

"Oh, gotcha."

___

They reached the Rockbell home well into the night. Winry knocked loudly, waking Den and causing him to bark. They saw the lights from inside turn on and Pinako quickly rushed to the door.

"Well, well." she grinned at the young couple. They both hugged the old woman and entered the home.

"I'm sorry it's so late, Granny." Winry apologized.

"Tsk, I don't care what time it is, as long as you come home." she said, lighting her pipe for a late night smoke.

_'Crap, I'm not supposed to breathe that because of the baby.' _Winry thought to herself. She knew that she had to tell her grandmother their news, but wasn't sure how the woman would take it since she and Ed weren't married yet. "I'm exhausted, Granny." she said, bending down to hug the small woman once again. "I'm gonna go on to bed, I'll talk to you about the whole trip in the morning."

"Alright, dear." the old woman smiled.

"I'll be up in a little bit." Ed whispered in her ear as she was hugging him goodnight. He kissed her and squeezed her hand softly, then watched her head up the stairs. Winry then went into the bathroom, she grabbed her toothbrush out of her small overnight bag and brushed her teeth, washed her face after that, then entered her room and crashed into her bed. _'Ahh, it feels so good to be in my own bed again!' _she squealed to herself as she snuggled up in the covers, drifting off to sleep shortly after.

"So, how's the new job?" Pinako asked, looking over at Edward.

"I'll let you know when I start, they want me back at the beginning of next month." he answered, heading into the kitchen.

"That's good." Pinako followed. "I take it your proposal went well?"

"Sure did. I really don't know what she sees in me, though." he crossed his arms.

"I don't either, to tell you the truth." she joked, elbowing him in the thigh. "Are you hungry, Edward?"

"Nahh, I'm fine." he said, sitting down at the dining room table. Pinako took a small stepping stool from the corner, by the fridge, and stood on it. Searching for a bit in the cluttered cabinet, she pulled out a large, glass bottle.

"Would you like some? I drink it when I'm up late, thinking, it'd be nice not to drink alone for once." she offered.

"Sure, thanks." Ed answered. Pinako placed the bottle on the table and went into another cabinet and pulled out two short glasses, then handed one to Ed. She filled them both with the clear liquid and sat the glass down in front of her. She looked up just in time to see Ed down the shot like he'd been drinking for years.

"When did you become a drinker?" she asked.

"Helped me get through five years in Germany." he shrugged, pouring more vodka into his glass. "You should've seen me, my first time in a bar." he laughed to himself. "I was pissed for some reason, guess I had a rough day, and a friend of mine asked me to go with him. I got there and ended up sitting next to this guy talking shit about how many beers he can drink in a row. I never had a drink before, but I told him I'd put him to shame and ended up embarrassing myself. I hurled when I was halfway through my first glass." he sighed, remembering the embarrassment like it was yesterday. Pinako began laughing uncontrollably, but quieted herself after Ed reminded her that Winry was sleeping.

"You've always been so hot headed, kid, but I love ya for it." she laughed, ruffling the man's hair. He smirked and lifted the glass for his second shot.

After catching up with Pinako for about an hour, Ed carried himself slowly up the stairs. He entered the bathroom and pulled his toothbrush out of the bag he was sharing with Winry. He began brushing his teeth, hoping to take the smell of vodka off his tongue, then quietly entered Winry's room. He tip toed over to the edge of the bed and stripped down to his boxers, then gently slipped under the covers, doing his best to not wake the beautiful blonde. Ed laid down on his side, beside Winry, who was on her side, facing him, deep asleep. He laid there for a few moments, just staring at her, admiring every visible inch of her body that wasn't covered by the sheet. He placed his flesh hand on her arm to discover that she was slightly chilled, so he pulled the blanket that was resting at the foot of the bed over them and settled in bed for the night.

___

The entire train ride to Central, the man had not moved hardly an inch. His gaze remained fixed upon the back of the seat in front of him and the guards that were surrounding him, a smirky grin brushing across his face every few minutes when his mind wandered a little too far. Without reason, he began to laugh hysterically, causing a few of the guards to feel uncomfortable.

"Shut the fuck up!" the officer to the left of him jabbed his ribs with the butt of his gun, but the laughing had not ceased. It just fueled him on to laugh louder, harder, more synical. "Don't make me have to put a gag on your loud mouth, Kimblee, you know I won't hesitate one hell of an inch to do so." the same officer informed. With that, the black-haired criminal decided to quiet down and leave his thoughts to himself for the rest of the ride. _'Hayashi...Mustang...it's been too long.'_


	10. Breaking the News

_Hello everyone! Thank you so so much for the amazing reviews, I'm glad you guys are liking where I'm going with this fic. Kimblee's my favorite badass from the series, as well. Boy do I have plans for him! Hahahaha. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! I wrote it in just a few hours, it was actually very easy to write. This thing is starting to write itself, it's great. ;] Enjoy!_

**Chapter Nine:  
Breaking the News**

___

The train carrying the military's top warrant officers, led by Vato Falman, along with their handful-of-a-transferee, arrived early in Central the next morning. As they exited the train, Zolf J. Kimblee was surrounded with guards on all sides and his hands were locked in wooden handcuffs, so he wouldn't be able to clap his hands together and create his terrifying alchemy. The officers escorted the man to his car and only two officers took a seat on each side of him once inside.

"Howdy." Jean Havoc greeted the man like he was an old friend. Kimblee just sat there, his eyes straight forward with a menacing smirk strung accross his face.

Havoc shrugged and mumbled something under his breath, then turned around to put the vehicle into gear and began driving. Kimblee looked to the left and then to the right of him, he was stuffed into the small car with two huge men on each side of him and was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. Remembering that it was crucial to keep himself under control, he sunk back in his seat as the car began moving and did not say a word to anyone.

The group arrived at the prison and Havoc got out to open the door for Kimblee and his escorts. More guards were waiting for his arrival at the front gate and a small crowd of people, all adults, were gathered around the prison too see that the psychotic killer has indeed arrived in Central. Alphonse was among the crowd, his arms were crossed in front of his chest, glaring at the man with fire in his eyes.

"He better not try anything. I'll be right here to cave his face in if he does." he muttered under his breath. After seeing the man enter the prison and the doors close behind him, he stood there for a few more minutes, then headed back to town.  
___

"Sir, we just received conformation that Kimblee's transfer was a success, he's in his cell now and on full time watch." Sergeant Kain Fuery informed from the doorway of Mustang's office. The Fuhrer put him in charge of Kimblee's transfer, showing just how much trust the man really had in Roy.

"Good, now I can relax." he let his shoulder's drop and rubbed his temples. Riza entered the room with two cups of coffee in her hands.

"Sorry, if I knew you were stopping by, I would've grabbed one for you, too." she sait to Furey, placing the hot cup on Roy's desk and moving to stand in her place beside him.

"No, no. It's fine, I should get back to work. We're gonna try and get a radio or some sort of listening device hooked up inside Kimblee's cell somewhere or just outside of it, out of sight, so we can hear him incase he ever causes a commotion." he explained, walking towards the door and stopping before he exited. "Havoc should be back any minute, I'll have him come report to you when he is." he said, then left the room.

"So what do you think about him being here?" Riza asked. Roy sighed and sat back in his seat, taking a sip of his coffee on the way and flinching when his lips and tongue met the steaming, black liquid. "I told you it was hot when I sat it down." she reminded in monotone. He sat the cup back on his desk and rested his elbows on the desktop.

"You know I don't like it. That bastard should just be put back on death row." he said. Riza nodded and remained standing at his side with a thin, black leather binder in her folded arms that were resting accross her chest. The binder caught Roy's eyes and he looked up at her, then back at the black book.

"What's that?" he asked, aware of the fact that whenever Riza had work for him, she'd pull it out of her book and place it on his desk. She normally didn't carry it around with her if there was no purpose for it.

"Just some files." she stated calmly.

"What files?" he asked again.

"It's nothing, _Sir_."

"Show me the files, Riza." he demanded.

"It's nothing that concerns you." she stood firm. The man stood up to face her with a stern look on his face, then grinned as he snatched the leather book from her grasp.

"Roy!" she laughed and began fighting him for it, jumping up when he held it high, out of her reach. He turned away from her, still blocking her attempts to retrieve was was taken, and began unzipping the binder.

"What the hell are you hiding from me, woman?! We're supposed to love eachother and loving eachother doesn't involve secrets!" he cried, overdramatically. His eyes then widened when he saw just what she was hiding. A magazine was tucked into one of the side pockets and a model wearing a puffy white dress was on the cover.

"Wedding dresses?" he asked softly, turning back to her. She blushed, but had a look of disappointment on her face and nodded. "What the hell? We're engaged for God's sake, why were you trying to hide that from me?" he asked, sitting the book down and wrapping an arm around her waist. She sighed and leaned into his sideways hug to hug him fully.

"I just didn't want you to think I was rushing you if I started looking for a dress. I know how busy you've been lately and I'm sure a wedding is the last thing that's on your mind." she said, trying not to make Roy feel guilty, but she did. He sighed, hugging her again and kissing the crown of her head.

"I'm sorry."

"Please, you should know me better than that, Roy. I'm fine. I just thought it would be fun to start looking. Winry was looking through this magazine one day and I sat down to talk to her, then she got me looking at it. She let me have it, so it's not like I went out and bought it." she explained.

"You don't have to explain yourself and if you really don't feel bad, you should. I've been such a workaholic lately and I've been paying barely any attention to you." he said.

"No, it's fine. Trust me." she smiled.

"It's not fine. A man should always be ravishing his woman!" he purred, picking her up and placing her on his desk. He began to kiss her, immediately slipping his tongue past her lips. Riza melted into the kiss, kissing him back just as hard and playfully biting his lip. He unbuttoned her uniform shirt and untucked her black undershirt from her pants, he snuck his hand up her shirt and squeezed her left breast as they began kissing more passionately. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled his face closer, pressing their lips together harder.

"Uhh, guess I'll come back later then." Havoc chuckled, casually ighting a cigarette like it was a scene that was carried out ever day. Riza gasped and pushed Roy away, immediately pulling her shirt down and buttoning her uniform back up. Mustang glared at the man and the couple collected themselves, returning to their earlier spots. "Okay now." Havoc cleared his throat and took a seat in one of the chairs facing Roy's desk. "So, Kimblee's locked up and Falman along with a few other men are there on guard right now. I heard Kain say he was trying to hook up a listening device somewere in there?"

"That's right." Roy nodded.

"Hm, guess that would be pretty useful." the man shrugged, letting out smoke as he exhaled. They sat there for a minute or two in silence, none of them not knowing what to say next. Havoc shifted a bit and Roy turned to the side, in his chair to look out the window. "Alright, well I'm off." he said, standing up and heading for the door. Roy waved at the man and Riza nodded.

"I'm gonna go get another cup of coffee." she picked up the empty cup, then stopped when she reached the door. "Do your paperwork, Roy." she reminded the man, leaving him alone in his office to pout over the ever growing stack.

___

Winry tossed and turned for a few minutes, trying to fall back asleep. It was early, probably around seven, she guessed by the amount of sunlight that was peeking through her curtains. She was still tired, but the fact that she needed to tell her grandmother about her pregnancy was keeping her up. She laid there a little while longer, thinking over her thoughts on how she would tell Pinako the news. Her thoughts ceased, however, when that nagging feeling in her stomach arrived for it's morning debut. Sneaking out from under the covers quietly as possible, trying not to wake Ed, she made her way to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth...just in case. She hated throwing up, more than anything, but was quickly becoming used to this new daily routine. She would puke, lay on the floor for a while, puke some more, try to get up, but standing would make her feel nauseous again, then puke for the last time. When she felt that it was out of her system for at least a little while, she'd wash up, brush her teeth, and stand there for a few more minutes in case her stomach decided it was ready for an encore.

She stumbled back to her room, snooping around her droors and in her closet, looking for something to wear for the day. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt, threw them on, then headed down the stairs. As Winry predicted, Pinako was already up and outside for a morning smoke while watching Den run around. She smiled at her dog and grandmother through the window and went to the kitchen to fix herself some breakfast. Looking through the small pantry and then the fridge, she decided nothing at all looked appetizing. _'I need to eat or I'll throw up again.'_ she reminded herself, then opened the pantry for a second time. Nothing. She let out a sigh, then her eyes spotted the breadbox on the counter. _'Duh, that's perfect!'_ She opened the glass container carefully and pulled out two slices, then stuck them in the toaster.

"What are you doing up so early?" Pinako asked when she saw Winry waiting by the toaster.

"Couldn't sleep." she replied, then grew nervous when she remembered the reason why.

"Hm, well are you planning on helping me out later on today? We've got one order to make by tomorrow and a maitenance appointement around three." the small woman informed, taking a seat at the table after fixing herself a cup of coffee.

"Sure, you know you don't have to ask me that, Granny." she said, spreading a light layer of butter on her toast so it wouldn't be too dry. She took a seat accross from her grandmother and carefully ate the first piece of bread. "Granny?"

"Yes?"

"I, um, have some news for you." she stated quietly, trying to hide the nervousness in her tone.

"I already know, Ed asked for my blessing right before the three of you left. Never thought I'd see the day." she chuckled to herself, taking a sip.

"Oh, not that," she shook her head. "It's funny and kinda sweet to hear that he asked though." she paused and took another small bite of the toast.

"What is it then? Is everything going okay with you two?" she asked, a little confused.

"Yea, everything's great, perfect actually. It's just...well, something happened and you know how one thing leads to another and...um."

"Just get on with it." Pinako's head was tilted to the side, she was even more confused now.

"I'm pregnant." she finally said, looking away from her grandmother in shame. She forced her eyes over in the woman's direction a few seconds later, when she realized that she wasn't being yelled at. Pinako was smiling, her understanding eyes were soft and shining. "You're...not mad?" Winry asked.

"I know I should at least be a little disappointed about it, because the two of you aren't married yet, but I'm just so damn happy and excited that I can't help it." she cried, standing up to go and hug her granddaughter. "Don't worry, kid. Everything will be alright." she comforted, rubbing her back and squeezing her tight before letting go. Winry was relieved. "Have you been to a doctor yet?" she asked.

"No, not yet. I just figured all of this out a few days ago and I told Ed yesterday on the train." she answered.

"Why didn't you tell him when you first found out?"

"I thought he'd be mad, or maybe even leave me for some stupid reason. I don't know what I was thinking. When I told him, Granny, he had that look. You know the look he gets when we talk about him getting Al's body back?" The woman nodded, picturing the rare expression of an overjoyed and proud Edward. "I know he would never do that, I just got scared." she said.

"You should know by now that he's a trustworthy young man. I know you are going to be just fine, Winry." Pinako soothed. The two women looked over when they heard a creak in the floorboard, a sleepy-eyed Edward entered the kitchen, in search of Winry.

"Good morning." he greeted them, kissing Winry's forehead, and grabbing a coffee mug. Pinako just smiled and left the couple alone, deciding that she needed to get started on the automail order for the next day. "What's she smiling about?" Ed asked. Winry stood up and offered him her extra piece of toast, but he was fine with just coffee. She threw her plate and the bread away and poured herself a large glass of water, then took a seat next to Edward.

"I told her." she simply said, kissing him on the cheek. "She's happy for us, Ed." she smiled. He sighed in relief and kissed her, then returned to his cup.

"Are you working today?" he asked.

"Yea, I'm gonna work whenever I feel up to it. I feel okay right now, so I better get working while it lasts." she stood up and kissed Edward again. Before she was out of his reach, he pulled her onto his lap and hugged her.

"I love you." he whispered, his automail hand was resting on her belly.

"I love you, too, Ed." she said, kissing him one last time before heading to the little shop attached to the Rockbell home.

___

_Ringggg!_

The school bell had rung, dismissing all students and teachers for the day. Abbie grabbed up her teaching books, her purse, and a few other things that she needed for the night and flew out the door and down the hall. She saw Al waiting for her, in his spot, through the window by the door and kicked it open since her hands were overflowing with her belongings. Alphonse laughed when he saw her, greeted her with a sweet kiss, and took some of the load from her.

"How was your day?" he asked as they began walking.

"Great, I love teaching. It's so much fun, I don't even feel like I'm working sometimes." she laughed. "What did you do today?" she asked Al, looking over in his direction.

"Nothing really, just hung around headquarters." he answered, shifting his hands around to get a better hold on Abbie's things.

"Did you go see that guy? The one who's a prison transfer from the East?" she adjusted her arms to catch a stray book that she was about to drop, but Al reached over with a laugh and took it.

"Yea, I saw him." he sighed.

"What's wrong?" Abbie asked. She could tell that Al was worried.

"I'm just not comfortable with the fact that he's in the same city as us. He's a killer, Abbs, he killed hundreds, maybe thousands of people for no apparent reason." he said, clenching his fist when picturing all the innocent lives Kimblee took just for his entertainment.

"Well, The Fuhrer's got him locked up pretty tight. I heard a few other teacher's talking at lunch today about how they're guarding him around the clock. I don't think you need to worry, Al. There's no way he can break out." she tried reassuring, but Al didn't budge.

"No. He's gotten out of prison before, he can do it again. It's just a matter of time, I'm telling you. When that happens, no one is safe. I don't like the idea of you walking to and from work, either." he exclaimed. "Or anywhere for that matter."

"Come on, I'll be fine! Walking every day like this keeps me in shape!" she grinned, trying to change the mood, Al smiled.

"Yea, just promise me that you'll never walk by yourself, alright?"

"Done. You always walk with me anyway." she giggled, flashing her deep blue eyes at Al's golden ones.

They made it to Abbie's apartment and dropped everything on her dining room table. She sat down and began sorting through the pile, organizing her lesson plans, stacking books, and hanging her purse up on the back of the chair.

"I've been talking to Roy Mustang lately about a job for me." he said to her. She looked up at him, surprised.

"A job in the military? I don't think Ed would like that, Al." she mentioned.

"Yea, I know, but it's my life. I'm gonna do what I think is gonna be best." he said. "I haven't really been offered anything yet, we've just been talking here and there. I'm not sure if I want to have a military based career, either. I'm just saying that I've been exploring my options. It's not gonna hurt anything." he explained. He opened up her small fridge and pulled out the pitcher of iced tea to make a glass for himself and Abbie. Just as he sat down, the phone began ringing and Abbie took a quick gulp of her tea, then darted to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Abbie, it's Ed." the elder Elric was sitting on the couch at the Rockbell's, twisting the phone line around his flesh finger.

"Hey Ed! How are you guys doing?" she asked, looking over to Al. His face lit up when he heard that his brother was on the line.

"We're doing great, I'll give the phone to Winry in a minute. I just wanted to talk to my brother about what's going on, is he there? You haven't told him have you? Winry told me you knew."

"Oh, no, I haven't. I had a feeling that you or Winry would've wanted to." she said quietly. "But, yea he's right here with me, hang on one second." Ed thanked her and she motioned for Al to come over to the phone.

"Hey, Brother!" Al happily greeted his older brother.

"Hey, Al, how are you doing over there?" Edward asked, realizing how much he missed his younger brother, his best friend.

"We're doing pretty good. How are you and Winry? How's Auntie?"

"Auntie Pinako's fine, she and Winry have been working on an order for a client all day and I guess they've got a customer coming in soon. Winry on the other hand, that's why I called, actually." his tone changed and Al could hear the excitement in Ed's words.

"What is it?" he asked, rolling his eyes with a big grin on his face. You never know what to expect when it comes to Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell, so Al couldn't imagine what kind of trouble they could've possibly gotten themselves into now that they were together all the time. The excitement was bubbling up higher and higher in Ed's stomach and he just couldn't hold it in any longer.

"She's pregnant! I'm gonna be a dad!" he exploded into the phone.

"Really? Congratulations, Brother! That's amazing!" Al shrieked.

"Thanks! I'm so excited, Al!" He kept going on about his happiness, not realizing that his volume was getting louder with each word. Al had to hold the phone a few inches away from his ear, afraid that he was going to get a headache. Pinako yelled from the workshop that the whole town could hear him and he yelled right back at the poor old woman. Al laughed and calmed his brother down.

"Really, Ed. That's so cool! How is she doing?" he asked.

"She's been sick a lot, like throwing up on and off the entire day. She's exhausted, too. It sucks, but Auntie said it should get better soon." he explained.

"Oh, well I hope she does, it must be tough." he admired his childhood friend's strong nature.

"Me too, Al." Ed agreed. "Alright, well I'll let you go, Winry wants to talk to Abbie. I'll call you tomorrow sometime and see what you're up to."

"Okay, Brother. You take care of them, you hear me?" he said and called Abbie over to the phone.

"I hear you, Al. I'll do my best." Ed answered. "I'll call you soon, alright?"

"Ed?" the younger brother called one more time.

"Yea?" he brought the phone back up to his ear to hear what his brother had to say.

"Everything is gonna be alright. Be strong." Al encouraged. A wide grin spread accross Edward's face and he nodded.

"I know."  
___

_Reviews are my main source of encouragement! Please review if you read and tell me what you think! _


	11. Conspiracy

_I am so sorry that I have not updated in more than a week! That's a long time for me. Well, I hope you think the wait was worth it! Here it goes..._

**Chapter Ten:  
****Conspiracy  
**___

"Get off that damn scale, woman!" Edward scolded the blonde when he caught a glimpse of her weighing herself in the bathroom. Winry was about a month pregnant now and starting to poke out, just enough for Edward and Pinako to notice. He also noticed that she'd been weighing herself constantly the past few days and was probably worried about gaining weight. Ed stopped and turned around to go check on her when he didn't hear her yelling and arguing back at him. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, opening the door wider.

"I don't know." she sighed, stepping off the scale.

"You're supposed to gain weight, Win. It's okay." he comforted, placing a soft hand on her lower back.

"That's the thing." she looked up at him with worried eyes. "I haven't gained a single pound, I keep _losing_ weight." Ed's eyes widend.

"Why? That's not right...?"

"It's because I've been so sick. I really need to go to a doctor and make sure everything's okay. I don't want to go to one here, since I'll most likely have the baby in Central. We need to go back." she said. Edward saw the fear in her eyes and took her into his arms, hoping to comfort her the best that he could.

The couple made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen to meet the old woman for breakfast. Their plates were already set, with generous amounts of eggs and slices of bacon upon them. Winry ate what she could and Edward vaccumed the meal with no complaints. During this time, Ed and Winry talked the issue over with Pinako and she agreed that Winry needed to see a doctor as soon as possible. Pinako stood and began clearing the plates, silverware, and cups, while Ed went outside for some fresh air. Winry remained at the table, quietly thinking to herself.

"What's the matter?" Pinako asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"I'm just really worried." she admitted.

"I know you are, but I think everything will be alright. Though it is normal to gain weight in the beginning, it can just as easily be the other way around. Depends on how sick you are. You're pretty sick." she paused and sat a pile of dishes in the sink to be washed. "Don't worry." she winked, reassuredly. Winry smiled at her grandmother and stood up to help wash and dry the dishes.

When the two women were finished cleaning up after breakfast, Pinako went into the shop and began working on a few orders. Winry stood there, hovering over the kitchen sink for a moment, feeling like she was going to lose her breakfast.

"You alright, Win?" Ed asked, entering the kitchen to stand by her side. She nodded slowly and linked her arms around his strong neck, breathing in deeply, she took in his scent and sighed into his shirt.

"I'm gonna give the realtor's office a call and see if we can move in when we get there, it's only a week early so I think we have a chance." he smiled, knowing it would cheer her up. Her eyes brightened and she smiled back at Ed. "Why don't you go finish packing if you're feeling okay?"

"Alright." she unhooked her arms and started walking past him while he planted a soft tap on her backside. Winry smirked and continued up the stairs.

___

Back in the bustling city known as Central, things were as lively as ever. Roy and Riza finally tied the knot, after being engaged for quite some time. It wasn't the big, glamorous wedding that everyone was expecting. In the end, Riza decided that a small courtroom wedding would satisfy her just as much. Guests included: Fuhrer Thomas Hayashi, Jean Havoc, Kain Fuery, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman, Alex Louis Armstrong, Gracia and Elysia Hughes, Denny Brosh, Maria Ross, and Abbie and Al. Riza knew that Edward and Winry would have been there if they weren't in Resembool and Alphonse mentioned that they sent their blessings via a phone call before the ceremony. It had been two weeks since the wedding and the couple couldn't have been happier to finally be together. Things at work have also changed as well. It was around two in the afternoon, normally a quiet time of the day, and Roy Mustang was growing impatient, changing positions in his office chair every few seconds.

"What's going on?" he asked Riza when she poked her head out of his office door to see what was the cause of the commotion.

"I think I heard someone say that General Grant Liam is here from East City." Riza said, still listening for any side-conversations that might answer their questions. Mustang jumped from his chair.

"What? What the hell is that old man doing here?" he stormed over to her and squeezed next to her to look out the door, then burst through it when he saw more East City soldiers come around the corner. "Tell me what's going on here!" Roy asked a random soldier, then stopped when he saw the General himself coming his way. He quickly stood to salute along with the other soldiers and Riza who was still standing in the doorway.

"At ease, Brigadier General, soldiers." the man calmly dismissed the lower ranking soldiers. "Is my visit to Central something to be alarmed of Roy Mustang?" he asked the younger man standing before him.

"N-no sir, I was just wondering why so sudden?"

"I'm just paying the son of an old friend a visit." General Liam kindly stated. "Now, if you'll excuse me, he's been expecting my arrival." he said, walking past Roy. Riza sighed and motioned for him to come back in the room.

"What was that about?" she asked when he finally shut the door. He stood there for a minute, thinking, then walked over to the couch and took a seat next to her.

"The Fuhrer would have told me if he was "expecting" someone important like Liam to show up."

"You're acting like Liam himself is the Fuhrer." Riza joked.

"I'm serious." he said, shifting in seat, "Something's doesn't feel right about him traveling for nearly two days just to pop into his office and say hello, plus I heard nothing about it in the first place."

"Why don't you go ask the Fuhrer when General Liam is finished in his office?" she suggested, placing a hand on her husband's back and rubbing softly.

"I guess I will, then." he sighed.

___

"Good to see you Grant." Thomas Hayashi greeted the man while standing from his seat. He reached out to the General's hand for a shake when he came closer.

"You, too, son. My you've certainly taken to your father's looks." he shook his hand, smiling warmly.

"Thank you, I miss him and I hope I'm making him proud." he said hopefully. "What brings you to Central? I know that you have much more than a friendly hello to deliver." the young Fuhrer took his seat back behind his desk while the General took the seat in front.

"You're right." he sighed, taking off his glasses and dusting any debris off with his uniform shirt. The Fuhrer's secretary then entered the room with a tray and two tea cups mounted upon it. "I'm here to talk about Zolf Kimblee." he said sternly. Thomas' hand came to a hault from bringing the glass to his lips. He sat it back down and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest. "Well?" the older man pushed.

"What is there to talk about? You needed someone to take him over, so I offered." he said as if it were a simple matter.

"That's not entirely the truth and you know it, Thomas." the man said sternly, looking into Hayashi's eyes. "That man is a killer, he knows exactly what to say and what to do to get his way with whatever and whoever he wants. I know the two of you have been talking since he's arrived here, young man. You may be the Fuhrer, but you are still my good friend's son, I will not sit here and let you run this country into the ground like the Fuhrer before you!" General Liam was standing up, inches away from the Fuhrer's face, he then exhaled deeply, hoping that he got his point across. "Do you even have a clue?" he asked softly once he collected himself.

Thomas sat quietly in his seat for a few moments, then a smirk spread widely across his face. He stood up and found a place by the window, looking out into the city, with his back facing the General.

"Oh, I have a clue, General." he then turned to face him. "Much more than a clue."

"What the hell are you talking about?" General Liam stood again, shocked at hearing the words that came out of Thomas' mouth.

"I know what I am doing, sir. Now please, see yourself to the door before I have someone escort you." he then turned back to face the window.

___

Edward and Winry arrived in Central a few days later, ready to finally move into their new home. Lietuenant Jean Havoc was waiting there to pick the couple up, smoking his last cigarette before having to put it out so he could help them with their luggage. They exited the train, stretching their arms, legs, and backs from their long ride on the cramped machine.

"Hey chief! Long time no see, I heard about the baby Elric. Congrats!" he said, taking Ed's hand for a friendly hand shake.

"Thanks Havoc." Ed smiled.

The two men began walking back to the luggage car to claim their suitcases and Winry followed behind to make sure they got the job done correctly without missing anything.

"Holy hell, how much shit did you bring?" Havoc huffed while setting another large bag down.

"Hey! That's my shit--and it's not shit!" Winry yelled, pulling her trusty wrench out of her pocket and waving it in the air. The man put his arms up in defense and laughed nervously.

"We're moving into our house, Jean." Ed said, straining to pick up yet another case filled with Winry's tools.

"Oh, that's right, I totally forgot. Congrats again, then!" he slapped Ed on the back, causing him to drop a heavy bag on his foot...the real one.

"Fuck!" he cursed. He bent down and began rubbing the top of his foot in attempt to ease the pain.

"Jeez. Sorry." Havoc sighed and continued to gather the rest of the luggage. "This everything?" he asked once he sat the last bag down.

"Yea, for now." Ed answered, then stood to his feet once again. "Winry's grandmother is gonna be sending us the rest of her things in a week or so." he finished.

"We should've had Armstrong do all this." he sighed, relieved that the job was done, but frusterated that he hadn't thought of his idea before he and Ed unloaded all of their things alone. Ed and Winry laughed and the two men began piling the luggage into the car.

After about thirty minutes of driving through the busy city's five o'clock traffic and a quick stop by the realtor's office for their house key and final signing of the papers, the three finally made it to Edward and Winry's new home. Winry gasped and pressed her face against the window once she saw the glorious house for the first time in over a month and flung the door open when the car stopped.

"Oh, it's even more bigger and beautiful than I remember!" she squealed, running up to the front door. Ed laughed and rushed up behind her then stuck the key into the keyhole and pushed the door open. "I can't wait until we can get some furniture in here. It's gonna be a lot of fun decorating this place." she said, admiring the the inside of the house oncemore. Ed chuckled and led her over to a set of double doors that were unfamiliar to the blonde woman. She tilted her head and stood there for a moment, as if trying to remember if they were there before.

"I have a surprise for you." Ed smiled, placing a hand on each door's handle. He then opened the two doors to reveal a room similar to a workshop. Winry gasped again and covered her mouth with her hands.

"What? Ed!" she cried with a big smile on her face. She ran deeper into the room and stood in the center, trying to take it all in. It had everything that she would possibly need to work right out of her home. All she needed to do was add her tools and get some customers. "I can't believe you did this!" she ran back over to him and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in to kiss her. "Thank you." she whispered, then kissed him softly once again. "So much." she finished, then kissed him one last time before going back to look at the room some more.

"You're welcome." he said happily, then remembered he left Havoc alone to bring all their suitcases into the house. He told her he was going to help, then headed back out to the front of the house. He stopped and laughed to to himsef when he saw Alphonse, Abbie, and Armstrong standing outside, talking to Havoc.

"Brother!" Al cried, then ran over to give Ed a huge hug. "Man, I've missed you!"

"Missed you too, Al." he said, hugging his younger brother back just as tight. He said hello to Abbie and Alex, then started helping all the men unload their luggage while Abbie went inside to see Winry.

"Winry?" she called, stepping through the front door.

"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" she called from the kitchen, then came into the front room to meet Abbie with a hug.

"We came to help you guys!" she laughed. "Aw, look at your belly!" she shrieked when she saw Winry's stomach through her fitted shirt. Winry laughed and Abbie rubbed her stomach, then the two headed into the kitchen.

"Would you like some water? It's all we have since we have no groceries." Winry laughed again. "Luckily I have a few glasses from home that my grandma gave me." she pulled the remaining glasses out of the box and finished putting them into the cupboard. Abbie fixed herself a cup and began helping Winry try to get organized.

___

Winry was already asleep on the pullout bed in Abbie's apartment. She and Ed would be staying with her and Al until they could buy themselves a bed of their own. Ready to pass out himself, Ed sat on the edge of the bed and watched Winry sleeping. He laughed quietly when he saw that her hand was resting on her lower abdomen, he slowly scooted closer to her and bent down to kiss her stomach lightly, then moved up to kiss her face.

"Ed?" she whispered with her eyes still closed. He kissed her cheek again, then snuggled up against her back, wrapping an arm around her waist and placing his hand over hers. "Are you just now getting in bed?" she asked, turning her head to see him nod.

"I was talking to Al." he whispered back.

"About what?" she asked again, turning over so she could face him.

"Just, well, everything." he said, resting his upper body on his left elbow that was propped up on a pillow. " Like how I'm about to start my new job, you and I are gonna be moving into a house of our own soon, and we're gonna be parents in a matter of months." he said, amazed at the life changing events that were about to take place in such a small amount of time. It had finally hit him. Edward Elric was truly happy with his life. Winry smiled and leaned over to kiss his lips, before she could pull away, he placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. "You make me so happy." he whispered.

"You make me happy, too." she smiled. Ed laid down beside her, holding her tightly in his arms, and the couple closed their eyes for a night's sleep.

____

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Come in." Fuhrer Hayashi called to the unknown visitor. Roy opened the door and stood in salute for a minute until Thomas waved his hand in dismissal. "It's late, Roy, is something the matter?" he asked nonchalantly.

"I'm not sure. I was just curious as to why General Liam was here today. I asked him for his reasons and he smilply said that he was here to say hello to you." Roy explained, walking over to the Fuhrer's desk.

"Have a seat." the man motioned for Roy to sit.

"No thanks, I won't be here long. My wife is already home and waiting on me." he said, hoping Riza wouldn't mind him using her as an excuse to get an answer out of Thomas quickly. If he knew Roy was snooping around, he would try and change the subject, thus wasting Roy's time. Riza was still in her office, waiting for him and as always, never leaving without him.

"How's your marriage going by the way?" he asked, taking a sip of his tea.

_'Here he goes...'_ Roy said to himself. "It's wonderful, sir. I've never been happier. Now, if you'll please answer my question. Is everything alright?" he pushed, trying not to be rude, but realizing that it was almost unavoidable in this situation. Thomas sat the small cup down and wiped his lips with the napkin that was sitting next to it, then smirked. He looked up at Roy and smiled warmly.

"Everything's just perfect, Mustang. General Liam just understands that the Fuhrership can be quite demanding on a person and came to see how I was holding up. He and my father were good friends back in the day, you know." he stated, taking another sip of his tea.

"Yes, he mentioned that." Roy sighed, realizing that it was a useless matter and he wouldn't be getting the truth out of the man. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir. I'll be leaving now." he saluted, then headed for the door.

"Roy." Thomas called from his seat. Mustang turned around and faced him one more time. "Tell that wife of yours to drive safe." he grinned, knowing that Riza would not leave him at work this late. With that, Roy left and rushed down the hall to meet Riza in her office.

"Let's go." he said to his wife when he opened the door. She got up and they began walking to the front doors of headquarters, neither of them saying a word.

"What happened?" she finally asked, almost afraid of what the answer would be since he said nothing about the matter after returning. Roy stopped and looked down at his feet.

"Something's going on. This damn military..." he firmly clenched the silver pocket watch that was in his hand. "Will it ever be a true military without corrupt leaders?" he asked no one in particular. Riza gasped, then looked back at the building they had just exited.

"What?" she asked in disbelief. They were friends with Thomas, he was such a nice man. A wonderful, refreshing young man that was supposed to be the new hope of Amestris. This could not be true.

"Riza. It's happening again."

___

_Paramore's song "Conspiracy" was a huge influence on the military's part of this chapter, hence the chapter title. ;] That song really made me think of Roy and Riza and their situation so far in this story. _

_Please, please review! I really appreciate all of my reviewers, thank you all so much!_


	12. Ledgendary

_So sorry it's been almost a month since my last update! I've had a lot going on, plus I just got over swine flu. Ugh, that sucked! I was lucky enough that I didn't pass it on to my baby girl or anyone else in my family, I would've felt horrible. =[ _

**Chapter Eleven:  
****Ledgendary**

___

All ties and means of communication between all ranks under the Fuhrer and East City Headquarters had been conveniently cut just days following Roy's disturbing conversation with Thomas. Mustang was debating on wether or not he should take leave for a short visit to East City, so he could talk to General Liam, but Riza convinced him that it would only cause more trouble. They wanted to keep the peace as long as possible and were hoping there was no need to break it. The last thing they both wanted was a riot emerging between themselves and the Fuhrer, they weren't even sure that something serious was going on in the first place. Roy seemed to be certain, though, no matter how many logical explanations Riza came up with in defense of the young Fuhrer.

Another busy day in Central was coming to a close, the sun was setting and all soldiers were heading home for a meal with their loving families. Traffic was backed up in a few places, forcing even the Fuhrer to sit back in his seat and wait longer than expected for it to pick up oncemore. He could hear people shouting at one another and shaking fists through open windows, making threats, and starting fights over the smallest of reasons. Sometimes, he thought people were just out looking for a fight, men in particular. This world really is a hell hole, after all, that's what Thomas thought at least.

The car finally picked up some speed as they drove through downtown, past the marketplace of the city, then the business district, past the military labratories, and on to Central Prison.

"Wait here." Thomas orderd his young escort as he opened the door to the automobile. He made his way past the prison gates, rendering the guards speechless as they had no knowledge of why the highest ranking man in all of Amestris would have business in such a lowly place. Thomas simply smiled at the men and entered the massive building, the atmosphere of the facility was sending chills to the man's bones as he found the hallway he desired to enter. He kept his gaze straight and his mind focused on the reason he came here as he tried to ignore the inmates scowls and rude outbursts that were being thrown at him with no regards whatsoever. He finally stopped in front the cell of choice, folding his arms across his chest and sighing loudly to make his presence known. He frowned when he noticed that the dark-haired man had not moved from his position and began tapping his foot furiously, as if time was of the essence, which in Thomas Hayashi's instance, it was. If anyone had seen him talking to Kimblee, surely suspicions would rise and Mustang would have even more dirt to stick his intruding nose into.

"What do you want?" the man sighed, unaware that it was not the usual prison guard standing outside his cell. Thomas snorted, jerked his body in the opposite direction and began to walk away until he heard the man call out his name a little louder than he was comfortable hearing in such a situation. "I wasn't expecting you." he smirked.

"We've got a problem, Kimblee." he muttered.

"Really? I've got many problems, at least that's what I've been told, what's one more?"

"Listen to me!" he demanded, grabbing the bars of the cell. The concern was obvious in his eyes and Kimblee quieted.

"Liam and Mustang found out that I had been talking to you, they don't know about what though, at least I don't think they do, but they're onto me. Either you need to step up on your end of the bargain or I'm out, I do not want to lose my position over something like this!" he clenched his fist, trying not to let his voice rise higher than a loud whisper. Kimblee stepped back with his hands in front of his chest.

"Easy, easy." he laughed nervously. "I'm ready when you are, I say there's no time like the present to begin what I came here for, right?" he then went over to the corner of the room and removed a loose brick from the wall, revealing a shining, red stone. Thomas' eyes grew wide at the sight of the ledgendary stone as Kimblee placed it in his hand. "You want an immortal army, I want my freedom. With this, I will be able to give you exactly what you want, young Fuhrer."

"That's right, how could I forget? I wasn't thinking it would be this that would give me my power, but I understand now that nothing else will be able to do it, so I'll take it." he said, tightening his grip around the stone.

Kimblee smirked once again. "Don't worry, with this you'll be able to get what you want and more, trust me. No one will ever forget your name, your father's name. You will be the Fuhrer to remember."

"Yes." he said to himself, bringing the stone to his chest. He stood there for a moment, eyes closed as if he were in deep thought, thinking over his choices and wondering if he was doing the right thing. "I am." he whispered, looking up at Kimblee.

"Huh?"

"Here." Thomas held out a large key to the man behind bars. Kimblee's teethy grin was shining in the dimly lit hall as he snatched the ticket to his freedom out of Thomas' generous hand. "Don't forget what you promised me, Kimblee, or I'll see to it that you'll never see the sun again." he threatened, looking him dead in the eyes, causing Kimblee's grin to become even more prominent.

"Please, I never back out on a job, besides, I enjoy these kinds of things." he shoved the key into his pocket and offered his hand to Thomas, who seemed hesitant at the offer. "C'mon, we're allys now." he reasoned. With that, Thomas returned the gesture, then turned to face the exit. "So I take it we're meeting tonight?" Kimblee asked before the Fuhrer walked away. He paused once again and looked to his feet, then nodded his head assuredly.

"Yes, I'm ready."

___

The smell of oil and nickel was heavy in the air of Edward Elric's new home, but he didn't mind at all. Winry was happy doing exactly what she wanted and what she loved, she had her own automail business and she ran it out of her brand new in-home workshop that Ed added onto the house just for her. He liked that she was working at home, he wouldn't want it any other way and now that she was pregnant, he gave himself an extra pat on the back knowing that she can be more comfortable and not have to leave the house unless she needed or desired.

He moved past the workshop when he saw through the open doors that Winry was with a customer and couldn't help but laugh when he overheard her scolding the older man about not keeping up with his automail leg's maitenance and stressing about how important it is. He could remember countless times when he had recieved that same lecture and Ed was happier that he wouldn't have to hear it much anymore, it was a lot easier to take proper care of his own automail now that he was living with and soon to be married to his own mechanic. He had a lot to be happy about and thankful for, actually.

He had been working with the military for a few months now and couldn't really find anything to complain about. They took care of the majority of Winry's doctor bills, his monthly checks were quite healthy, and the Fuhrer even gave him a few weeks vacation for when the baby is born. His job was definitely a challenge, but Edward loved challenges and he was planning on having this job for the rest of his life, simple and ordinary was the last thing he wanted it to be.

Ed sat his breifcase on the kitchen counter and rumaged through the fridge until he found the pitcher of sweet tea and poured himself a glass. He looked up from his drink when he heard Winry saying goodbye to her last customer of the day and watched as she led him to the front door.

"Thank you so much, Miss Winry. I can't remember the last time my leg felt this good, I'm so happy that I finally found a decent mechanic in Central! My wife would always get so agitated when I would have to take those long trips to Rush Valley when something happened to it." he said graciously, taking her small hand in his and patting the top of it with his free hand. Winry blushed at the compliment and saw the man off, making sure that he remembered that he had no excuse now and that she expected to see him at least every month for maitenance.

Ed studied her body language as she closed the front door, her shoulder's suddenly dropped and her whole body seemed to slouch over in exhaustion. She stood there facing the door for a minute, with her hand on the side of her neck, massaging the tense muscles. She spun around when Edward cleared his throat to let her know that he was home.

"Hey, when did you get here?" she asked, walking over to him and sinking into his arms when he held them out for a hug.

"I just got here, I didn't want to interrupt your maitenance lecture." he joked, kissing the crown of her hair. "You've been working all day, haven't you? I saw you setting up shop before I left and I bet you haven't stopped since." he looked down into her tired eyes and she shrugged.

"I've been getting new patient calls all day, it's been pretty busy here. I was thinking about getting myself an assistant or something, I need someone to answer phones." she sighed, bringing her palm to her forehead when she was reminded again of how busy things were getting and how tired she was.

"Alright, Win, we'll take care of it soon. You should go take a hot shower and then rest, I don't want you working anymore today." he said sternly, but lovingly.

"Bossy much?" she laughed, removing the bandanna and letting her long, blonde hair fall free. "How's work been going for _you_? You haven't talked to me about it much, is everything okay?" she asked, using the bandanna to wipe away a few grease smudges.

"It's going alright, it's just been really busy lately and the last thing I wanna do when I get home is talk about it." he said as Winry took a seat on a barstool on the opposite side of the kitchen counter, across from Ed. He looked up at her after hearing no response and met her sapphire eyes, that were looking contently back into his. "I know that look." he sighed, knowing that she really wanted him to talk to her. "There's really nothing big to mention, we had a guy quit a few days ago because he got into some argument with Mustang, apparently. I don't know anything about it and I honestly don't give a damn." he looked at Winry again and she just sat there, staring back at him and listening patiently. "Come to think of it, Roy's been pretty short-fused with a lot of people lately, that guy's got some problems he needs to figure out, or I don't know what the hell is stuck up his ass."

"Have you talked to him? He does think of you as a friend, Ed, and he has a lot of respect for you and Al." she said.

"Nah, I don't wanna get involved in his over-dramatic life. Seriously, I don't know how Riza puts up with him." he bent over the counter and rested his chin in his hands.

"The same way I put up with you." she laughed, standing up and taking the last few sips of Edward's tea. "Someone's gotta keep you two in line, it's not an easy job, but we manage." she winked. He let out a sarcastic laugh and walked to the other side of the counter to take Winry into his arms.

"Why don't you show me _exactly_ how you manage to keep me in line." he implied, kissing her sweetly and rubbing her back softly. She laughed and continued teasing him until he absolutely couldn't stand it anymore and began undressing her, then himself.

"Wait," she pulled away, breathless. "let me go take a shower, I feel disgusting and I'm covered in grease."

"That makes it even more fun." Ed said seductively, nipping at her ear.

"Ew, no it doesn't! Come on, I'll take like twenty minutes, go wait in our room." she insisted and got up off of Edward's lap to head upstairs to the bathroom.

Ed sat there for a moment, debating with himself about calling Roy and decided that it couldn't hurt anything. He picked himself up off the stool and headed into the study, his escape. Filled with old and new alchemy texts, the large room was a place where Edward would go after a long day of work and throw himself into his studies. If there was a way to better control alchemy, he found it. If there was a new formula to decipher, a new code to break, or another large amount of discontinued research to continue and finish, the job belonged to Ed. Most of it was pretty simple for him, there were only a few rare occasions where Ed would call Al in for a fresh set of eyes.

All of his successful research was what kept the checks coming, what kept food on the table, and what gave Winry privelege of going to the best doctor in Central. If it was something he had to do in order to take care of his family, by God, Edward Elric surpassed all expectations. In the end, Roy ended up scoring points, also, since he was the one who suggested that Ed should take over anything and everything to do with alchemy in the military.

He sat down at his desk and stared at the phone for a minute, it was getting late, but then again, he wondered if Roy and Riza were even home in the first place. There had been some nights where he remembered the two not leaving headquarters until almost midnight, something was up and Ed never liked feeling left out.

He thumbed through his notebook full of contacts and found Mustang's home phone number, picked up the receiver and dialed Mustang's home...no answer.

"I knew it. That bastard, working on some serious case and not telling me anything. That has to be it, what else could it be?" he hung up, then picked the receiver up once again, and dialed Roy's office, this number he knew by heart.

"Shit." he hissed, slamming the phone down. "This isn't right." He left his study and went upstairs to find Winry finishing up in the bathroom, he could feel the steam from her shower as is seeped through the cracks of the door and a wave of guilt washed over him. He slowly opened the door to see her wrapped in a towel, the round outline of her stomach would appear occasionally as she brushed any knots out of her freshly washed hair.

"What's the matter?" she asked when she noticed he was standing in the doorway, not saying a word.

"I...I have to go. I'm sorry." he said shamefully, walking over to her to give her a long, tight hug.

"What's going on, Ed?"

"I don't know, Mustang's not answering at home or the office, so that makes me wonder if something really is going on. I just have to be sure."

Winry looked at him, eyes full of love, and walked over to give him a light kiss on his lips. "Be careful and try not to come back so late." she said. He nodded and left her then and there.

Breathless, Ed burst through the doors of Central Command. "Damn, I gotta get myself into better shape, our house is only a block or two away from here." he said, passing up door after door and stopping once he reached the door he was looking for.

"Roy?" he called from the other side of his office door, "Roy, I'm coming in." he announced, opening the door to find the man he was searching for, hunched over his desk with what looked like a missing person's report in hand.

"Hey, kid." he muttered.

"What the hell's going on?" Ed probed, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yea, the man's been missing for only a few hours, I haven't even released the search warrant out to the police yet."

"Why?"

"Because they've got their hands full looking for Kimblee, apparently he escaped just an hour or two before this man's disappearance." Roy said, closing the file and rubbing his temples to try and shoo away the begininng of a headache.

"How the hell...could you let that bastard escape?! Do you have any idea how many innocent lives were taken by him and his psychotic alchemy? What the fuck's going on? I've got a family I need to keep safe here, dammit!"

"Calm down, Ed. I'll tell you everything I know, or at least what I think I know." Roy said, motioning for Edward to sit down. He did so and with all the willpower he had left inside him, he forced himself to stay and listen to what Roy had to say instead of running back home to be with Winry and make sure she's okay.

___

Thomas glanced down at the small parchment piece he was squeezing between his thumb and forefinger, then looked back up at the building standing before him. If Kimblee's scribbled down directions were correct, this is where he wanted them to meet at. The building was a small, rundown labratory that was closed shortly after the Ishbal Massacre, after finding out everything that happened during Ishbal from Mustang, Thomas could only guess that this is where the experiments involving the Philosopher's Stone were carried out and he suddenly understood why Kimblee chose such a haunting site. It was not only abandoned, but also disturbingly fitting due to the fact that they would be experimenting with the stone, also.

"What the fuck are you doing, Kimblee?" Thomas shrieked when he saw a young man struggling to break free of the bindings that were holding him down on what looked like a medical table. The man turned around to look at Thomas and cried out, 'Fuhrer, Fuhrer!', but Thomas was too far in shock to answer, Kimblee laughed and shook his young Fuhrer flinched as he watched Kimblee deal a heavy blow to the man's jaw, knocking him out after threats failed to calm him down and keep him quiet. "What the hell is going on here?"

"I thought you said you were ready, this is what has to be done in order for you to get what you want." he reminded, taking another glowing red stone from his coat pocket. "If you want to do what's best for your country, sacrifices have to be made."

"What are you talking about? You never told me anything about sacrifices. If this is how it has to be, then I refuse to take this any further!" Thomas bellowed.

"You really are an ignorant brat, how else did you expect me to create an immortal army? I can't pull immortality out of my ass, it has to be created with a few small sacrifices. Just watch, he's not really gonna die, unless his body completely rejects the stone, but I have faith in him." with that, Kimblee put two fingers over the area where he punched the man earlier and found a spot that was already bleeding, he split the cut open wider and pressed the stone into the cut, causing the man to cry out in pain. Kimblee took a few steps back to avoid the victim's flailing arms as his body was unwillingly thrashing out of control, red sparks were flashing on and off all over his body, but mostly where the stone was inserted in his skin. Thomas couldn't move, his mouth was wide open and his heart was racing, he wanted to look away, hell, he wanted to run, but he couldn't make his legs move or any other body part. All he could do was watch as the innocent man's body struggled to win the battle against the Philosopher's Stone.


End file.
